


Edward Clark & Victoria Plotts

by KingPepperony



Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Post-Iron Man 2, Pre-Iron Man 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 16:42:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 45,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22499272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingPepperony/pseuds/KingPepperony
Summary: Pepper has been acting strange lately. Tony will not rest until he gets to the bottom of her secretive behavior. When he stumbles upon her writings and finds out about her alter ego, Victoria Plotts and her love affair with Edward Clark, what will he do about it? (AU movieverse - Takes place somewhere after Iron Man 2 but before Iron Man 3)
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

It didn't matter how long it took him. Tony was going to get to the bottom of Pepper's strange behavior or die trying. He couldn't put a finger on when it had actually started but he did vividly remember sneaking into Pepper's office a few days ago with the idea of surprising her by taking her out to lunch at her favorite restaurant only to be taken completely by surprise himself.

When she noticed she was no longer the room's only occupant, she yelped, actually yelped like a startled dog, leaping out of her chair before slamming the laptop in front of her closed with much more force than necessary. Her blue eyes were wide in shock as she took in his obviously unwanted presence. Her breath came in fast gasps as she asked him what he was doing there. From where he stood, he could feel the guilt radiating off her in waves. What had she been doing before he walked in?

Was she cheating on him? No. Pepper wouldn't do that. She would never do that. But then, what the hell was making her act so weird? He could tell he had caught her doing something she must have felt like she shouldn't have been doing because she wouldn't even look him in the eyes. She refused his invitation, claiming she was behind on work and had already eaten, practically shoving him out the door. Since that day, things had been exceedingly awkward between them, and Tony did not like that. He did not like that at all.

That's why he was currently sitting in his workshop tinkering with something that did not need the slightest bit of tinkering at all. He had already fixed the problem hours ago but he just couldn't bring himself to stop messing with it. He had to keep himself busy. He had to stay busy because if he wasn't working with his machines then his mind started wandering off to other things that he really did not want to think about right now.

"Sir, you are currently going on seventy-two hours without sleep. I highly recommend you rest."

Tony barely heard Jarvis over the loudly blaring AC/DC music that helped him center his thoughts. Although on this particular today he was using the deafening rock and roll to try and stop himself from thinking about the fact that Pepper was hiding something from him. Something big. Something that made her so uncomfortable she felt like she couldn't talk to him about it. Something that made her refuse lunch at her favorite restaurant, which never had happened before. Even before they were officially together she had never said no to eating there. Never. Oh God. What was going on? Why was she acting so weird? What made women act weird? Was she pregnant? Oh fuck. She was pregnant wasn't she? That would explain the strange behavior. Maybe she was researching pregnancy related stuff on the internet when he asked her to lunch. Oh shit. Oh shit, shit, shit. A baby? Oh my God.

"Sir!"

Jarvis' voice finally broke through the haze he was in. And it pissed him off. "What? What do you want? Can't you tell I want to be left alone?" Tony growled, annoyed that his AI had not picked up on the fact he did not want to be bothered. Snarl visible on his lips, he spun away from his work on the suit, screwdriver still firmly clutched in his right hand. When he found that he was no longer alone in his workshop, his eyes went wide and his lip dropped. Pepper was standing in front of him.

Still fully dressed in her usual business attire, heels and all, Pepper must have just gotten home from the office. That's right. She told him she had an important meeting today and that she would be later than usual. Fuck. What time was it? Her shoulders were hunched over, making her seem much smaller than she was. Her gaze was focused somewhere just over his shoulder. This wasn't the Virginia Potts he knew and loved. Something was bothering her. "Clearly you are busy. I'll leave you alone."

Hearing the hurt in her voice, Tony felt his stomach drop out. Oh shit. She thought he was yelling at her. Damn you, Jarvis. Damn you to hell. "No, no, Pep, wait! I wasn't talking about you. You aren't bothering me." But she didn't wait. She was back through the glass door and on her way up the stairs before he finished speaking. God was that woman surprisingly fast in heels. Angry with how things were going, he threw the tool in his hand across the room. "Shit."

"As you can see, I was merely trying to make you aware of Miss Potts presence. Might I suggest you talk to her, sir?"

Tony sighed loudly, all of his anger draining out of him as he threw himself onto the couch and allowed the cushions to consume him. Maybe the couch would swallow him up whole so he wouldn't have to deal with whatever was going on with Pepper. Nah. He could never be that lucky. His life was a constant reminder of that. "Trying to give me relationship advice, Jarv?"

"I've just noticed that you've been...a bit off the last few days, sir, and I assume it has to do with Miss Potts. Am I correct?"

"Yeah, you could say that," he mumbled into the sofa, grabbing a pillow to hide his head.

"Would you like to talk about it, sir?"

He was currently curled into the fetal position on an old couch with a pillow over his head like a child. He most definitely was not in the mood to talk. "Are you a therapist now too?" He couldn't keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"I don't claim to be a therapist but when both you and Miss Potts are acting out-of-character especially on date night, it isn't hard to realize something is not quite right."

At the realization of what day it was, Tony shot up straight in his seat, smacking himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand. How in the hell could he have forgotten about date night? "Oh shit. Oh shit." He was in so much trouble. He launched himself off the couch, beginning to pace the floor in an almost manic manner. Due to the fact he had personally canceled their last date night he had promised, promised Pepper that the next date night would trump all over date nights before it and then he had gone and forgotten all about it.

"I assume you forgot what day it was?" Jarvis' voice almost sounded sympathetic. "The day isn't over, you can still try and salvage things, sir.

"J, can you tell me what Pepper is doing now?"

"She is in bed on her laptop."

That made him stop pacing. She was on her laptop. Likely the same laptop she was doing something on when she was depicting her suspicious behavior back at the office. "Give me video," Tony said as he directed his full attention to the screens in front of him. Sure enough, Pepper was sitting with her legs crossed in the middle of their California king size bed. She was still in her suit but she had removed her shoes and let down her hair. "Zoom in on the laptop screen."

"Doing a bit of spying are we, sir? Why don't you just go up there and talk to her?"

"Zoom in on her screen, Jarvis." Even as the AI followed his command, Tony knew if Jarvis could have sighed and rolled his eyes he would have. "What are you up to, Potts?" Tony cocked his head to the side, squinting as he tried to read what was on the small screen in front of Pepper. "What is she doing?"

"Looks to be doing a bit of writing, sir."

Tony scowled. Okay, now Jarvis was laying the sarcasm on thick as tar. Maybe Tony was rubbing off on him a bit too much. "Thanks, Captain Obvious. But what is she writing?"

On the view feed as if she had heard him talking about her, Pepper clicked the laptop closed, sliding it under her pillow before she rose from the bed and began to strip off her clothes. At the site of her pale naked skin, Tony's heart began to race. He licked his lips as arousal curled low in his belly. God, when was the last time they made love? It felt like forever ago. It had at least been a few days before the strange encounter in her office. He wanted her. He wanted her badly. He needed her. Now. "Jarvis, mute until morning or unless I tell you otherwise." He was through the workshop door and up the stairs almost as fast as Pepper. He raced up the stairs to their bedroom and made a beeline for the master bath. Naked. She was naked behind that door. Naked and wet.

Driven by desire, Tony reached for the knob and turned, running face first into the door like a complete idiot when it didn't immediately open. His hand flew to his now throbbing nose as the curse words flew out of his mouth. She had locked him out of the bathroom. That was a first. She had never locked the bathroom before. Oh man. When it came to women, he may be clueless about somethings but he knew what that meant. He had fucked up. He had fucked up big time. He pushed the pain of his aching nose aside, leaning forward to rest his forehead against the door as he gave a few gentle raps with his knuckles. "Pep?" He waited a few seconds for a reply, when he didn't receive one, he knocked a little harder. "Pep?" The water was no longer on. There was still no response even though he knew she had to have heard him. How bad had he fucked this up? "Pepper, I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry I forgot about date night. Earlier in the workshop, I didn't know you were there. I would never talk to you like that. Never. I was upset and I was taking it out on Jarvis. I've been out of sorts lately and I apologize. There is no excuse for me forgetting date night. I'm a shitty boyfriend."

The door opened and Pepper stood there, wearing only a pair of panties and one of his old band t-shirts. Since she was wearing his shirt, maybe she wasn't so mad at him after all. Her hair was still damp, dripping rivulets of water down her front. The wet material made her pink nipples stand out from underneath the cotton. Tony swallowed thickly trying his hardest to push his desire back down. He was pretty sure she wouldn't want him to jump her right now. Not since he had forgotten date night. "It's okay, Tony. I'm feeling tired anyway. I think I'll just go to bed."

Tony's eyebrows shot up. "You are going to bed? Now? It's only eight o clock. I..." He was interrupted by Pepper pressing a quick kiss to his lips. He almost whimpered when she pulled away much too quickly for his liking. He wasn't done with her. He was so far from being done.

"Goodnight, Tony." Giving him a sweet smile, she brushed past him to the bed where she pulled the covers back and settled herself into her usual spot. "Lights off, Jarvis."

Tony was now standing in a dark room. The only light was that from his arc reactor, which was dimmed down by his shirt. He couldn't just leave now. It didn't feel right. He hadn't gotten a real chance to talk to her. "Pep?"

"Hmmmm?"

Tony closed his eyes and forced out his next question even as his brain screamed at him to keep it to himself. "Are we okay?"

That clearly got her attention because she turned toward him, propping herself up on her elbows. "What do you mean?"

Tony slowly padded over to where she lay. He leaned down to pull up the comforter and tuck it in around her slender form before sitting down next to her on the edge of the bed. "I mean, are we okay? Is our relationship okay? Is there something I did to upset you? I just feel like something is wrong, and it honestly wouldn't surprise me if I did something and didn't realize that I made you mad until it was too late. I'm sorry I'm such an ass..." His words were stopped as Pepper grabbed him by the front of his grease-stained t-shirt and yanked him forward, pressing her lips against his. He shuddered as her arms wrapped around the back of his neck, pulling him against her. Her tongue demanded entrance to his mouth and he gave it to her. She kissed the ever-living shit out of him, leaving him panting and wanting much more when she finally pulled away.

"I love you, Tony Stark. Please don't ever doubt that. I'm just tired. I promise."

Tony tried to give her his signature puppy dog eyes to try and get his way but realized it was too dark for them to work their magic. "But Pep, you practically threw me out of your office when I came to surprise you."

"I-I did. I just wasn't expecting you, and I was busy. I had a lot on my plate." At the mention of what happened between them that day, she immediately grew flustered. In the dim light cast by the reactor, he watched as her eyes darted to where her laptop was hidden under her pillow and then back to meet his stare. There was that look on her face again. Guilt.

"Pep," Tony started, reaching out to her but she turned away, lowering herself onto her pillow. He honestly didn't realize just how much he had been missing her until he was in her physical presence. He had been in his own little world lately, focused on his latest projects. But now that he was sitting here next to her and it felt like she honestly didn't want him anymore, it hurt. It hurt as much as shrapnel in his chest. "Pepper, please talk to me."

"Tony, I'm tired. Please. Can this wait?"

He was going to touch her again but at the last moment, he withdrew his hand. No. No. It couldn't wait. He wasn't going to be able to sleep until he found out what was bothering her but even with that being the case, he lied through his teeth. For her. "Yes. Yes, it can. Goodnight, Pep." He gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead before rising from the bed, glancing one final time over his shoulder before he left the room. He had one thing on his mind.

He was so getting his hands on that laptop.


	2. Chapter 2

For the first time in a long time, Pepper was late. Hell, she honestly could not remember the last time she was late for anything in her entire life. Well, unless the times something Tony did caused her to be running behind counted but they didn't. Not to her. That man was always late for everything. That was if he even showed up at all. But she, she was always on time. She was always there when she was suppose to be. Except for today. Today she was running behind and there was no one to blame but herself.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." Pepper scurried around Tony's room in a tizzy, trying to get ready as quickly as humanly possible. Usually, she worked well under pressure, but today was not one of those days.

This past weekend, she had been in New York schmoozing it up with the bigwigs of several corporations that Stark Industries was trying to start up business relationships with. It had been a long freakin' couple of days. Because of delays due to severe weather, her flight back had gotten in very late last night. Or was it earlier this morning? She honestly didn't even know.

What she did know was that Tony had been asleep in bed when she had gotten back so that meant it must have been later than she thought. It was strange to see him in bed asleep and by himself. On the usual night, she had to coax him into bed otherwise he would stay up all night but here he was passed on on top of the covers, lying on his belly with his clothes still on. It was one of the cutest damn things she had ever seen. She had sat down next to him and ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the softness of his curls against her fingers.

"Pep..." She heard him mumble softly in his sleep while shifting closer to her. "Pepper..."

Part of her wanted to roll him over and shock him awake by wrapping her lips around his dick but instead she had let him sleep. If he had gone to bed of his own free will, he likely needed to rest. Instead she had thrown on an old band shirt of his and crawled into bed next to him, curling up close to his side. When she woke in the morning, he was already long gone and it was then she realized that she was late.

There wasn't time for a shower. There wasn't even time for her to put on makeup. She would have to wait and apply it between meetings. After dressing as quickly as she could, she threw her hair up into a messy bun before slipping on her heels and clattering down the stairs, where she proceeded to almost break her neck because someone, who shall not be named, left their sneakers on the steps. Dammit, Tony Stark!

Usually in the mornings before she went into the office, she greeted Tony and gave him breakfast because if she didn't do it, he wouldn't eat until she forced it down his throat when she got back later in the day. But that wasn't happening. There just wasn't time. She hoped he wouldn't hold it against her as she dashed down the stairs and into the workshop.

Tony was nowhere in sight, which was a tad bit odd, she thought to herself as she got into her car. She parked her vehicle where it was out of sight because they still had not gone public with their relationship. The last thing she needed was the paparazzi publishing photos of her car sitting out front of the infamous Tony Stark's house all night before she had made an official statement. After all, she was no longer his PA so what excuse could she possibly give them to explain why the CEO of Stark Industries was parked at Tony Stark's house all night long?

As she pulled out into the sunlight and onto the road, she sighed. She and Tony had been together almost four months. She spent almost all of her free time at his place. He had wanted to go public with their relationship the night he finally kissed her. She had told him she wanted to establish her position as CEO before they went public. After all, the last thing she needed was the tabloids claiming that Tony Stark only made her CEO because she slept with him. But honestly, what was she waiting for now? Her grip tightened on the steering wheel. Tony wanted to be affectionate with her in public. She had pushed him away when he tried to hold her hand when they were out and about. She loved Tony. She really truly did. If she was being completely honest with herself, she had been in love with him for years. But then when it came to letting the world know about her relationship with him, why was she stalling? What the hell was wrong with her?

A horn blaring brought her out of her thoughts. The highway came into focus in front of her just in time. Her foot found the brake, bringing the car to a complete stop as she found herself in the middle of a traffic jam. Of course today of all days, there was traffic. So much freaking traffic. She was going to be even later than she originally thought, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. Maybe she should have just taken Tony's suit and bypassed traffic all together. Now wouldn't that have been a fun way to show up to work. A small smile passed her lips as she imaged how Tony would have reacted to that. Another sigh escaped her lips. Tony...

He had been extra busy lately, and she had been extra horny. But every time she tried her hardest to seduce him, he didn't seem to notice. His nose was either buried in his suits or his cars or his newest project. A couple of weeks ago, he hadn't even noticed when she stood in the doorway to his workshop naked. He had been so hyper focused on what he was doing, he had merely asked her to make him a sandwich, not even bothering to look up from his work. She couldn't even find it in herself to be mad at him. She was only disappointed. So she made him a sandwich, went upstairs to his bedroom, grabbed her laptop and that's when she started writing.

She hadn't written anything for pleasure since she had been in college. She really hadn't had the time or inspiration but she suddenly found herself in the mood. While Tony was absorbed in his work, she let her imagination run wild. She wasn't expecting to actually write much of anything but then one page became two then three. It was quickly becoming a chapter book, and she found herself writing more and more.

For the last month or so, Tony seemed to be distracted. Not that she was surprised because that man always had a lot on his plate. He never seemed to be around much anymore and that's why she had freaked out when he actually showed up to the office and wanted to take her out to lunch. And yet you turned him down, she reminded herself. Now that she looked back on it, she hated herself for the way she acted, but he had caught her when she was writing and honestly, she was embarrassed by it. She hadn't the slightest clue what Tony would think about what she was writing but she didn't want it to push him away. She didn't think he could get any further away from her than he was now...

She honestly couldn't remember the last time they had made love. She missed him so much it sometimes manifested as a physical pain in her chest. Maybe the reason he was acting distant was because he was already getting sick of her. He had to be. He was Tony Stark. He didn't do relationships. He didn't do romance.

That was Pepper's greatest fear...that she could never be enough for him, and he would leave her. Her eyes grew wide at the sudden realization. That was it. She didn't want to go public with their relationship because it would put them in the public eye and once the entire world was a part of their relationship, Tony would realize what a mistake it was to start up something with her at all.

Another series of horn honks alerted her to the fact that traffic was once again moving. Her heart was now racing. Whether it was from the stress of traffic or from her thoughts about Tony leaving her, she didn't know. Her only focus now was getting to work and getting something accomplished so she pushed the thoughts of Tony into the back of her mind and hit the gas.

When she finally arrived at the office, the rest of the day was no better. She was wearing her white suit so of course she spilled her lunch all over her front. She had forgotten her Tide pen so naturally she spent the next twenty minutes in the bathroom trying to scrub the stain out but only managed to make it worse. Then she somehow managed to break the heel off one of her expensive as fuck shoes, as Tony liked to call them. And then she somehow got roped into attending a benefit ball in New York. Like she hadn't had enough of that place already. And that wasn't all. Her date was the new CEO of Hammer Industries, the person put in charge after Justin Hammer got himself arrested for working with Ivan Vanko.

That right there was another downside of not going public with her relationship with Tony. When asked if she had someone special to go with, in a board room full of people, on reflex she blurted out no before really understanding what she was committing to. And then she was told "it was a date" by the man on the other side of the conference call. A man who would likely want to buy her drinks and dance with her. Oh shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Tony was going to freak. But then...something in her brain clicked. While Tony would freak the fuck out about her having a date to a benefit he wasn't invited to...it would make a very good addition to her story.

When she finally had a lull in her schedule and was able to sit down at her desk, eager to add the charity benefit to her story because damn did she have a really good idea of what she wanted to happen with that, it was already three in the afternoon. It was only then she realized she had forgotten her laptop back at Tony's. Oh well, at least she had saved a copy to her Dropbox so she could still update it. With a big grin on her face, she wiggled her fingers above the keyboard before diving in.


	3. Chapter 3

Realizing that Pepper had already left for the day and that he was alone, Tony frowned. The sinking feeling he had been experiencing for awhile now only grew stronger. It was close to suffocating him now. She had left and hadn't gotten him his usually morning cup of coffee and breakfast. Honestly, he could have gone without the food and hell, even without the coffee (even though he may suffer all day from caffeine withdrawal) but worst of all, she hadn't even kissed him goodbye. When he heard her scurrying around trying to get ready for work, he had gone outside for a couple of minutes and when he had come back inside, she was already gone. He couldn't remember the last time she didn't kiss him goodbye before leaving. It was so unlike her. Where had they gone so wrong?

The beginning of their relationship had started out hot and heavy. They had made love like two horny teenagers, never able to get enough of each other. Hell, he remembered one specific day they had fucked four times...God. Tony was started to get aroused just thinking about it. Their unchecked desire for each other had gone on that way for months but now...now things were changing. He couldn't remember the last time they made love, and he didn't like it.

He wandered down to his workshop, determined to focus his thoughts on building something and not spending the entire day thinking about Pepper. He tried to work. He really did but as soon as he would start doing something, it would somehow remind him of something Pepper did or said in the past and that led to him worrying about her again. Who was he kidding? He wasn't in the mood to do any work. All he wanted to do was curl up in bed and hold Pepper. His Pepper...

Letting out an exasperated sigh, he threw himself onto his bed, sprawling out to take up as much space as he could. Yeah, maybe he was being a tad melodramatic but he honestly didn't care. He didn't understand what was going on. And he was suppose to be a genius. This shouldn't be so hard for him to figure out. He sighed again. The only thing he did know for sure was that he didn't like what was happening. He buried his face into Pepper's pillow, clutching it to his face as he deeply inhaled her comforting scent. That's when his hands found something hard. His eyes went wide as he pulled out the treasure hidden beneath her pillow. She had left her computer behind.

As he sat up and opened it, it felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest and short out the arc reactor. He shouldn't be doing this. Pepper trusted him. Doing something like this was spying on her. He shut the laptop. But what if she was hiding something important from him? To be fair, he did ask her to talk to him and she outright refused. How was he suppose to find out what was going on with her if she wouldn't talk to him? He opened it again. But did he really want to know what was going on? What if she was cheating on him? Did he really want to know? Could he even deal with that information? He closed it again.

"Having a bit of an internal battle going on, sir? Is the good or evil side in the lead?"

"Jarvis..." There was a warning in Tony's tone. He really wasn't in the mood for the AI's banter.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jarvis asked.

Was he sure? Well, he was damn sure he couldn't live with the ways things were currently going. He needed to know what was going on with Pepper, and if she wouldn't talk to him about it, this was the only way to figure things out. His hands may have been shaking but his mind was made up. "Yep, I'm sure." Not waiting for another reprimand from his AI, he opened the laptop and booted it up. As he scrolled through the documents, nothing seemed to catch his eye. It all seemed to be work related. Her internet search history held nothing that set off any alarm bells. Nothing seemed amiss. That was until he got into her Dropbox where he found a Word document labeled Edward Victoria. Those were two names that didn't sound familiar to him. He couldn't think of a single business contact with either of those names. He opened in up the document and began to read a loud...

Victoria Plotts was in so much trouble. Out of all of the eligible men on the planet, she had gone and fallen in love with the one man she couldn't have, her boss, Edward Clark. Edward was the most attractive man she had ever seen. To her, he was perfect. He was taller than she was in her towering heels. He was nicely built; his back muscles were the reason she had to repeatedly excuse herself from watching him while he worked. If he knew how hot and bothered she got watching him, she would never hear the end of it. His gorgeous brown eyes were accented with thick lashes that even she was envious of. His dark silky hair curled when he let it grow out. God did she long to run her fingers through his hair when it got unruly. She had to stop herself on so many occasions from reaching out and doing just that.

They were close but their relationship was a complicated one. They weren't lovers but they also were not merely boss and employee. It was something else entirely. Something somewhere in the middle of those things and Victoria just could not figure it out where they fit.

With her red hair, pale freckled skin, and long slender legs, Victoria was pretty. She knew that she was but she wasn't even close to being as beautiful as the women she knew Edward desired. After all, being his personal assistant, she got to deal first-hand with his one-night stands the morning after. They were all drop-dead gorgeous. Super models and porn stars. Busty and beautiful. Who was she kidding? He wouldn't...couldn't ever really want her and even if he did, she couldn't bare to think that she would become just another notch in the famous Clark bedpost. That would destroy her.

She sighed heavily as she watched Edward from her place at the table as he lead the meeting. He looked good today. Extra damn good dressed in his newest Hugo Boss suit and the hot rod red tie she had personally picked out for him. His hair was styled, his mustache and goatee perfectly trimmed. Why did he have to look so damn good and be so damn unreachable? She sighed again, secretly yearning for him to cross over to her in several long strides, take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. She would do almost anything to feel that goatee of his brushing against her sensitive skin, his hot breath on her neck...

"Did you get all that, Miss Plotts?"

Victoria's attention snapped back onto Edward who was staring at her intently, waiting for her response. Everyone at the table turned to face her. It was then she realized she had snapped her pencil in half. Oh crap. She was suppose to be paying attention. She was suppose to be taking notes, not fantasizing about her boss. Edward's tone with her was strictly professional but the way his chocolate brown eyes were looking at her and the curve of that delectably kissable mouth was anything but...

Tony had read enough. He was on his feet a beat, only barely managing to not knock the laptop off the bed as he began to pace the floor in front of him with focused determination. He didn't know what to make of what he was reading. "The woman in the story is obviously Pepper but who the hell is that Edward Clark guy? I'm gonna kill him." His hands became tight fists at his sides as his pacing increased in intensity. If he kept up this momentum for long, he was going to create a new hole in the floor. Like he needed another one of those... Pepper was obviously using her writing as some sort of outlet. Now he just had to figure out what it all meant.

"Sir, need I remind you that your middle name is Edward and that Clark isn't that far off from Stark. The male character described in the story does seem to be modeled after you."

"Only a little bit taller." Tony grumbled under his breath because he sure as hell wasn't taller than Pepper in her killer heels.

"Just a little bit, sir?"

Jarvis' quip froze him in place. "Jarvis..." He growled another warning a loud, half tempted to reprogram the snark right out of the rebellious AI right then and there. His height was a sensitive subject. He didn't need to be reminded on a daily basis that he wasn't tall. He already knew that. When he met with his competitors, they made sure to point it out to try and put him off his game. But he also knew that Jarvis didn't mean anything by his remark so he pushed his anger back down. After all, there were more important matters at hand. "Are you sure Pepper is talking about me, J?"

"I do believe so. You were Miss Potts' boss for years, and I do believe you have that same Hugo Boss suit that Mr. Clark was wearing in the story. You even have the same tie."

Jarvis' observations hit him like a ton of bricks. Holy shit. He was right. Pepper had given him that exact tie for his last birthday. In fact, she had described its color to him as hot rod red. "But why would she feel the need to write this at all when she's already got the real me?" He lowered himself slowly back onto the bed, trying to wrap his head around everything.

"When was the last time you were in a meeting?"

"Ummmm..." That was a good question. Tony hadn't the slightest idea. Once he had made Pepper the CEO of Stark Industries, he simply didn't go to any meetings anymore, even if they requested that he attend. He couldn't count the number of times Pepper tried to get him to go with her to a meeting because he would understand what was being talked about. After all, he was the engineer, not her. In fact she had outright begged him a few times. He had still turned her down, and she had eventually just stopping asking him. Fuck.

"When was the last time you showed up to something on time?"

"Ummm..." He honestly didn't have an answer to that either. This line of questioning was going to give him an aneurysm.

"I believe the answer you are looking for is...never."

Tony let out a laugh at Jarvis' straightforwardness. "Geez, Jarvis. When did you get so snarky?"

"I learn from the best, sir."

So that's what Pepper had been doing when Tony popped into her office unannounced that day. She had been writing. She had been writing this story about the two of them. That's why she had acted so strange when he suddenly appeared. It was then Tony got an idea. "Hey J, bring up Pepper's meeting schedule for the rest of the day." A mischievous smile played at his lips. If Pepper wanted to be Victoria Plotts, then he was going to be Edward Clark.


	4. Chapter 4

Pepper was completely absorbed in her writing when her eyes finally glanced at the clock. Now, on a normal day she would have been alerted of her upcoming meeting by her secretary, but less than an hour earlier Bambi had begun violently throwing up, and Pepper had sent her home. This important meeting had just been rescheduled earlier today, and she hadn't put it on her personal calendar, knowing that Bambi would remind her to go. She had been writing quite the love scene in her story and didn't want to be interrupted. But now, on top of everything that had happened to her earlier in the day, she was now late for a meeting. The words that spewed out of her mouth as she quickly gathered her things together for the presentation she was suppose to give would have made a sailor blush. This definitely would not make a good impression of Stark Industries. If she blew this, she would never be able to forgive herself. Oh my God. What would Tony think? He might regret making her CEO. Cursing under her breath, she hurried down the hallway toward the boardroom.

Now. Of all of the things Pepper would have thought she would see today, seeing Tony Stark dressed in the exact outfit she described in her story in the meeting she was suppose to lead was definitely at the bottom of the list. He was standing at the front of the boardroom looking utterly fucking delicious. All eyes were on him until the door clicked shut behind her, and then everyone shifted their attention to her. She couldn't move. She was like a deer caught in the headlights. She clutched the papers in her arms closer to her chest, afraid that she would drop them.

"Tony, what are you doing here?"

When he responded by giving her one of his 100-watt Stark smiles and it lit up his entire face, she almost melted on the spot. "Ah. Miss Potts, so glad you decided to join us." His voice was strictly professional. "We already started so won't you sit down, please?" He gestured to an open seat, not waiting to continue with his presentation until she sat down.

Luckily for her, the chair wasn't too far away because when her butt met the seat, her legs were on the verge of giving out. The items in her arms practically dropped to the table. Tony was here. Not only was he here but he was leading a meeting and was fully prepared. He had charts and graphs and everything. What the hell was happening? Had she been sucked into an alternate dimension? That could be the only explanation. The Tony Stark she knew and loved wouldn't show up to a meeting. He hadn't been to a meeting in months. Maybe when she had broken her heel and fallen earlier, she had hit her head and was in the hospital in a coma.

"Did you get all that, Miss Potts?"

Hearing an exact quote from her story, Pepper's head snapped up. Tony was looking to her expectantly, waiting for an answer. Everyone turned back to her but her eyes remained locked on Tony. As she worked to regain her composure so she could actually respond, she sat there and drank him in. For the past week or so, he had let himself get a little bit scruffy but he had since cleaned up quite nicely. His facial hair was trimmed and his hair was perfectly quaffed. He was obviously aware of what he was doing to her because a corner of his mouth turned up. Holy fucking shit. She didn't know whether to be turned on or freaked out by the fact her story seemed to be coming true right before her eyes.

"I um...I..." It wasn't often that Pepper Potts didn't know what to say but this was definitely one of those rare moments. As Tony's eyes searched her face, a blush crept across her cheeks. The temperature in the room seemed to shoot up. God. Did she forget to put on deodorant this morning? It felt like she was sweating through her suit. "Y-yes, I think...I think I got everything I need. I have to...I actually have somewhere else to be." Before she could make more of a fool of herself, she was on her feet and out the door, leaving her documents behind but honestly...she could not care less. She just had to get out of there.

Water. She needed water. Well, actually what she really wanted was an extra dry martini with three olives but she wasn't getting that. Not at work. She scurried down the hallway away from the boardroom, pushing by people left and right, looking a tad bit crazy, she was sure. Just as she was about to enter the break room, a high pitched squeal stopped her in place.

"No way. Come on, Liz. Are you serious?"

"Very serious, Jan. Tony Stark and I fucked this last weekend. We fucked in every single room in his house. The pool too."

Clinging to the doorway for support, Pepper froze in place. All of the giddiness she had been feeling about seeing Tony large and in charge disappeared. Tony had fucked Elizabeth from accounting? No. It couldn't be. Then again, she had been gone all weekend, and Tony had his place all to himself...No. She shook her head. That just couldn't be true. Tony wouldn't do that to her.

"So, how was he?"

"Well, let's just say he isn't lacking in size or stamina..."

That's it. Pepper couldn't take it anymore. She was not going to let anyone talk about her man like that. She strode into the room with new found purpose, detonating like an atomic bomb. "Could we keep the office gossip to a minimum please? This is not appropriate talk for the work place. And I doubt that Mr. Stark would approve of you talking about his sexual escapades while at work whether they be true or not."

The two women who had been standing by the water cooler chatting shrank away from her as she bore down on them. So maybe she could have toned it down a bit but honestly, she was feeling possessive. Tony was hers. Okay, so nobody else might have known that (except Rhodey and Happy) but still. She knew and that was enough.

"Sorry, Ms. Potts," they both said sheepishly, refusing to make eye contact with her before hurrying away as fast as was humanly possible.

Now Pepper's mood was ruined. She was absolutely fucking furious. She was going to get on the intercom system and announce to everyone at Stark Industries that Tony was hers and if anyone touched him, she would not only fire them but bury them at the bottom of the ocean. And now that she had a graphic visual of Tony fucking Liz that she couldn't get out of her head, one that involved him bending her over the hood of his Audi R8 and going to town on her, she was done. She was so done for the day. She was going to head over to Tony's, maybe have herself a nice glass of wine, maybe a bottle and wait for him to get back. As soon as he got in the door, she was going to fuck him into the ground. Smiling playing on her lips, she walked into her office. She definitely was not expecting what was there waiting for her.

"Tony!" she squeaked in surprise, her voice going an octave higher as the door shut behind her.

Tony was perched on the edge of her desk, leaning against it with one leg crossed over the other. His tie was unknotted, the first few buttons of his shirt unbuttoned.

"Wh-what are you doing here?"

"So many questions, Pep. Just thought I would visit you at work. Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Of course I am. I just...I'm surprised to see you."

"I can tell. Your reaction in the meeting kinda gave it away." The warm smile he gave her made her heart flutter. Even after all this time, one look from him could turn her insides to jelly. His dark eyes roamed over her face, and his disposition immediately changed as he pushed himself off her desk and approached her. Aw crap. He knew she was upset. "What's wrong?" He raised his brows, waiting for her to answer.

Tony was extremely observant when he actually wanted to be. When he stopped directly in front of her, Pepper sighed. "Lizzie from accounting claims you fucked her this last weekend. She claims you fucked her in every room of your place...fucked her senseless apparently."

Tony's eyes went wide in shock, mouth dropping open. If he was lying, he was putting on a damn good show. His hands came up in front of him as he began to gesture wildly. "What? No. No way. Pep, she's lying. I would never cheat on you. Never. You can check with Jarvis. Check the video feed. I-I'll bring it up for you right now and prove it to you. I'll..."

Pepper put a finger over his lips, silencing him. His eyes were begging with her, pleading that she believe him. "I know it's not true, Tony. I wanted to strangle her for even suggesting such a thing."

"Why didn't you then?"

Pepper's hands found her hips. "Tony, I'm the CEO of your company. I can't go around strangling my employees for making up rumors. After all, why would I care? We aren't together officially. I mean in the public eye. Am I right? Why would I care who Tony Stark is doing?" She was testing the waters. On top of that, it didn't help that she was still wound up from what Elizabeth had been saying about him. He was hers but she wanted to know what his feelings on the matter were. "Tony Stark can do whatever and who ever he wants."

The look Tony gave her boarded on predatory. "I guess you're right about that but we aren't in public now...are we, Miss Potts?"

Her heart rate sky rocketed as he took another step closer. The want in his eyes was enough to make her shiver. "Tony..."

"Getting a little personal there, aren't we Miss Potts? You know, since we aren't officially together..." Pepper shuddered violently at the way he said her name. It was hot. Extremely fucking hot. "I know you are the CEO and all but remind me again who it is that actually owns this company?"

Tony normally wasn't like this. This wasn't his day-to-day persona with her but Pepper had to admit, it was turning her on. "Y-you do."

Without her heels and with his dress shoes on, Tony was a few inches taller than her and she had to look up to meet his eyes. "That's right, Miss Potts. Me. So really...I'm the one in charge, right?" A yelp of surprise escaped her lips as her back found something solid. She hadn't even known she was moving and was now pinned between Tony's muscular body and the hard door. There was no escape from him. His hand was above her head as he leaned down over her. His eyes raked over her body making desire pool low in her belly. He was gazing upon her like he wanted to devour her whole and God, did she want him to.

Her heart was going to burst out of her chest. She didn't know what was happening but holy fucking shit. It was hot as hell and she liked it. She pushed her knees together as Tony pressed himself in closer. "Ton..." The glare he gave her shut her up. She knew what he wanted to hear. "I mean...Mr. Stark."

"Yes, Miss Potts?"

One of Tony's thighs were wedged between her knees now, forcing her legs open. When he leaned down and playfully flicked his tongue over the skin of her neck, she inhaled sharply, tilting her head back against the door, inviting him to kiss her everywhere.

"So..." Pepper shuddered at Tony's hot breath tickling her ear. "What do you think everyone would say about the owner of Stark Industries fucking his CEO against the door of her office? How about I make you come so hard they hear you screaming my name all the way in the break room? "

At Tony's suggestion, Pepper's knees gave out but he held her up. This was almost exactly like what happened in her story. Victoria had found Edward waiting for her in his office and then...and then...her mind whited out as Tony's hand slipped under her skirt.

"I didn't hear a no." And then Tony's mouth was on hers.


	5. Chapter 5

Tony couldn't believe it. His mind went wild as Pepper allowed him to press her back into the door with his body while his mouth devoured hers. As their kisses grew in intensity, he decided to see just how far she would let him go and slipped one of his hands up her skirt. When Pepper actually opened her legs to give him better access instead of clamping them shut, Tony let out a groan. And then he almost completely lost his shit when he realized she was already wet for him. Holy fuck. This was better than any fantasy he could have come up with. He growled as he slipped his fingers into her panties, thrusting two of them deep into her core. He was rewarded when she called out his name in her moan of pleasure, letting her head fall forward onto his shoulder. This was really happening. Pepper was actually letting him feel her up in her office. Never in his wildest dreams did he think Miss Prim and Proper Pepper Potts would let him do this to her in her place of work. Okay, so after reading what Edward did to Victoria, maybe Miss Potts wasn't so proper after all. She had a naughty streak underneath the surface and he was going to try his hardest to bring it out. He relished the way Pepper held onto him by the lapels of his jacket, her face buried into his shoulder, her breath coming out in small sexy pants as he rolled his thumb over her clit. He could make her come like this but he wasn't done with her yet. Not by a long shot. It had been way too long since they had any sexual contact and he was going to make this last.

"Miss Potts, you just got up in the middle of an important meeting and left. What do you think I should do to you for running away from me earlier? Hmmm?" When he received no reply, he immediately withdrew his fingers and left her teetering on the edge of an orgasm. He could have sworn she snarled but couldn't be completely sure since her head was still buried in his shoulder. He couldn't help but chuckle at her obvious frustration. "What was that, Miss Potts? Did you have something to say?"

That was when she finally lifted her head to meet his gaze head-on, her blue eyes sparkling. Reflected in them he saw she was clearly up to something. God was she beautiful. Her cheeks were flushed, her face close to being the same shade as her hair. She didn't speak. What she did do was take his fingers, the same fingers that had been buried inside her a few moments earlier and put them into her own mouth, sucking them clean. She swirled her tongue around his digits, stroking them like she normally did to his dick and he felt his cock twitch in his dress pants. The entire time she did this, she never broke eye contact, staring at him with intent as she tasted herself on him.

Tony swallowed thickly, insanely turned on by her forwardness. Holy shit. Not only was this woman incredibly beautiful but kinky as hell. "Fuuuuuck."

A corner of her mouth quirked up, likely amused by his response. "I'm sorry. Did you want to taste that, Mr. Stark?"

She was being coy, toying with him. Yeah. Yeah, he did want to taste her. As an answer to her question, he spun her around, pinning her front against the cool wood of the door. Letting out a growl, he pressed himself against her back making sure she could feel how turned on he was. Pepper let out a squeak of surprise. He was going to have fun with this. So much fun. He now had her slender wrists held tightly in his large hands, pressed firmly against the door by her head. She was completely at his mercy now. He was thoroughly enjoying himself, nipping and kissing at her neck, scraping his goatee along her skin until he noticed she was trembling. Lips lingering millimeters from her skin, he froze. Oh shit. Was he hurting her? Did he read her wrong? Was she not into this? The last thing he wanted to do was make things worse between them. If he did something stupid and drove her away, he would never be able to live with himself.

"Pep, if you don't want to do this, all you have to do is tell me to stop and I'll stop. I..."

"Don't stop, Mr. Stark. Don't you dare stop." And when she rubbed her ass back against him, he went from semi-erect to hard.

Okay. So that confirmed it. She wasn't trembling with fear but desire. Pepper Potts got turned on by being dominated. Who knew? Well, actually he did know from personal experience. He thoroughly enjoyed being bossed around by her. He couldn't count the number of erections he had to hide from her thanks to her bossy little mouth pre-Afghanistan. Sign these papers, Mr. Stark. Hard. You are going to be late for your meeting. You need to leave. Now. Hard. Hell, post-Afghanistan too if he was being completely honest with himself. Something about the way she flared her nostrils when she was upset with him made him want to fuck her into oblivion.

"So, Miss Potts, you ran out of the meeting earlier. Did you have somewhere more important to be?" He flicked his tongue over the shell of her ear causing her to shudder violently. He was delighted when a small moan escaped her lips. "I'm sorry? I didn't catch that."

"No, I..."

"You...?" He bit down on her lobe, drawing a gasp out of her throat. He soothed away the pain with his tongue. "You what, Miss Potts? What were you running from?"

"Nothing!" she blurted out, which was obviously a big fat lie. She was the world's worst liar.

What was funny was this exact scenario reminded him of scene from her story. What was it that Edward had said to Victoria? He pressed his mouth to her ear and recited the words he remembered reading not an hour earlier. "You sure you weren't reading my mind and that's what scared you off? Because you know what? The only thing I could think of while I was in that meeting was how badly I wanted to throw you on top of the table, hike up your skirt and bury my face in your pussy." And before Pepper could offer a reply or comprehend that he had just word for word recited what Edward had said to Victoria before doing what he was planning to do, he dropped to his knees, not caring that he was in a several thousand dollar suit, ridding her of her panties before diving between her legs.

Pepper yelped as his tongue made contact with her most sensitive area. Tony felt her knees threaten to buckle from the over-stimulation but he wrapped his arms around her, sticking her to the spot. She couldn't collapse. Not yet. There was still so much more to be done. He was going to eat her out for as long as she could handle and then he was going to fuck her. Before today, he had been starting to worry about the possibility that she didn't want him anymore but that obviously wasn't the case. She was slick with her own juices. He could still turn her on and was he ever glad for that. Pepper was the girl. His girl. Whether or not she knew it, she was his now, forever. He had waited far too long for her and he wasn't going to let her go ever again. She was his.

"Don't you move, Miss Potts," Tony ordered, his voice suddenly low and raspy, boarding on that of a growl. He was suddenly feeling very possessive. He didn't like feeling so detached from her. This whole situation between them made him feel extra protective. "I'm not done tasting you, and I plan on tasting all of you, Miss Virginia Potts." Because fuck, did she taste good. Better than his favorite Scotch. He was rewarded when he felt one of her hands moving through his hair, stroking it lovingly. God did he enjoy it when she put her hands in his hair. He hummed and continued to run his tongue along her folds, every once in awhile dipping it deep inside of her.

"Oh fuck, Tony."

As he licked and sucked at her, he heard a gentle thud which he assumed was her head falling forward against the door. At that point, he didn't correct her for not calling him Mr. Stark. He couldn't blame her for losing her mind. After all, when she wrapped her pretty little mouth around his cock, he couldn't even remember his own name. Her taste was driving him crazy, making him harder than he can ever remember being. He wanted nothing more than to bury his throbbing dick in her pussy and come deep inside of her but he needed to make sure she knew how much she meant to him. He couldn't lose her. He couldn't. He hated feeling helpless. Hated not knowing what was going on in her head. Hated knowing something was bothering her but she wouldn't tell him.

"Tony!"

The way his name left her lips, he knew she was close and he knew exactly what to do to push her over the edge. He flattened his tongue against her clit, continuing to lick and pressed his fingers to the tight ring of muscles he wasn't allowed to enter when she didn't give permission and BAM! There is was. Jackpot. He heard her cry out his name, felt her clench around him, thighs shaking as she rode out her orgasm. Tonytonytonytonymytony. And God...it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. Hell, maybe half of the building had heard her come. And quite frankly, he didn't give a shit. All that mattered was he had done that to her. If someone asked him if he had heard Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries crying out his name in her office on this date at this time, he would gladly claim that it was because of him. Because of his tongue.

And then he was on his feet in a beat, holding her closely to him, making sure she was okay, helping her come back down, stroking the gorgeous red hair that he loved so much. She was breathing hard, shaking like a leaf as she clung to him tightly. "I'm here, Pep. I'm here. It's okay. I'm here."

"Tony. Oh my God, Tony. I love you. I love you so much"

Jesus, Mary and all the Saints did he love hearing Pepper say that she loved him. Before Pepper said those words to him, he honestly couldn't remember the last person who said they loved him and actually meant it. It was likely his mother. He can't remember his father ever saying it. But he didn't want to think about that. Not now.

He waited so fucking long to hear those wonderful words come out of her mouth. He still remembered the first time she said she loved him and it made him tingle in all the right places. He would never grow sick of hearing it. Never. I love you too, Pep. That was what he was thinking but he remembered they were supposed to be playing and forced out, "You think I'm done with you? Oh no. I'm far from done. You think I'm okay with you running out on a meeting with me? Do you know how that reflected on me? On my company?"

Pepper caught on quickly. The way she looked at him as if daring him to put his money where his mouth was made desire curl in his belly. This woman...this woman...fuck. He spun her back around to face the door. "Now I'm going to fuck you. Not for your pleasure but mine." In order to do this, Tony realized he needed to remove his own clothing. He unbuckled his belt, letting his pants fall down and pool around his feet. As part of his plan of seduction, he had skipped the underwear, which in hindsight was excellent planning on his part. "Miss Potts, I think a reminder is needed. You may not be my PA anymore but this is still my company so technically you work for me." He punctuated his sentence with a hard bite to the junction of her neck and shoulder, drawing a whimper out of her throat.

Now normally she wouldn't let him mark her in a place she would be forced to cover up but in this moment she was allowing it. She was allowing it and fuck if he wasn't going to take advantage of her charity. He bit and suckled at the same spot, her moans and groans of pleasure driving his need, making it damn near impossible for him to think clearly. All he knew was he wanted...no NEEDED to fuck Pepper Potts this very second.

"Same my name, Potts. I need to hear it." And with one thrust, he entered her from behind.

Pepper's head snapped back, a loud gasp escaping her throat. If Pepper's secretary Bambi had been in the office, she would have definitely gotten an earful. Although with how many times he had visited her lately without making an appointment, maybe she already knew they were together. At this moment, he really didn't care. "God, Mr. Stark. You feel so good."

Tony shivered at the way she said his name and groaned as he filled her up, his hands sliding down to hold her hips. Holy shit did it feel good to finally be inside her again. She was tight and wet and hot and perfect. And his. "You're so tight, Miss Potts. When's the last time you were fucked properly?"

"It's been awhile, Mr. Stark."

That was true. It had been way too fucking long since they connected this way. Hell, since they connected on a personal level at all. He missed this so much. He missed her. He gave her a series of gentle kisses up her neck toward her face and when she turned her back toward him, he kissed her mouth sweetly but deeply. He honestly didn't know how long he could keep the Mr. Stark/Miss Potts role play going on because what he really wanted to do was take her home and make love to her all afternoon. He wanted to wait on her hand and foot and worship her like the goddess she was. Not breaking down and calling her "Pep" or "honey" or "baby" was killing him but he did have to admit that this entire scenario was hot.

Hands gripping his ass snapped him back into the moment. Pepper was smiling at him as she gave his ass another firm squeeze. "If this is my punishment, I think I need to be naughty more often."

Trying to get back into character, he forced himself not to react to what she said. His eyes flashed with unadulterated lust. "No, Miss Potts." His voice was rough around the edges. He tried his best to pull out the dominance card. It was hard to do since in reality, it was her who owned his ass. "You try and run from me again, I will chase you and when I catch you, which I will..." He pulled out of her before thrusting back inside of her, burying himself to the hilt. A loud yelp escaped Pepper's lips as she braced herself against the door, Tony leaning down over her. "I will fuck you whenever the hell we are. Audience. No audience. Doesn't matter. You. Are. Mine." He fucked her hard and fast then, not stopping for anything until he came with her name on his lips, the world around him exploding into tiny fragments.

Together they collapsed onto the floor, curled tightly around each other. Tony gathered Pepper into his lap, burying his head into her shoulder as he tried his hardest to get his breathing under control. He shuttered as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. They stayed like that for awhile, just being in each other's presence as their breathing slowed until Pepper pulled away from him.

"Tony?"

"Mmmhmm?" Still not having recovered from his mind-blowing orgasm, Tony couldn't offer her much more than a mumble. In fact, he was impressed he was even able to offer any reply at all.

"You wouldn't have by chance read my story, have you?"

Every muscle in his body tensed up. Her question was like a physical slap to his face, immediately bringing him down from his high. This was it. She was straight up asking him if he went behind her back and snooped around in her things. He felt suddenly guilty. Maybe if he gave her his best big puppy eyes, she wouldn't be mad at him. Well, too mad at him. He really didn't feel like sleeping on the couch tonight but he knew he couldn't lie to her. Even with that fact, it didn't make it any easier for him to admit what he had done. He swallowed deeply, forcing himself to meet her questioning gaze. "Look, I-I know I shouldn't have been snooping, Pep. It was wrong of me but I asked you what was wrong and you wouldn't talk to me, and well, I-I got scared."

His admission got Pepper's attention. He wasn't one to usually admit to being scared about something. She usually had to beat it out of him. She cocked a questioning eyebrow at him. Well, at least she wasn't yelling at him. That was a start. "Scared? Scared of what, Tony?"

Tony's shoulders sagged, his shoulders drooping as his head dropped, his eyes now focused on the floor in front of him. His throat felt tight. It was growing more difficult for him to breathe but he knew he had to get it all out. "Of losing you, okay? I thought I was going to lose you."


	6. Chapter 6

Pepper was only embarrassed of the thought of Tony reading her intimate writings until he openly admitted he was scared because that wasn't something he did very often. After all, he was Tony Stark. He was Iron Man. Once she knew he was afraid, all of a sudden it wasn't about her. Not at all. "Tony?" He didn't respond to his name. What he did do was pull her closer and bury his face in her shoulder. Her hands came up to rub soothing circles on his back. She was starting to get worried. "Tony, please talk to me."

He shuddered out a longing sigh that shook his entire frame. "I've tried, Pep. Lord knows I've tried but you don't want to talk and I just felt like you were slipping away from me. I thought maybe you had changed your mind."

Pepper pushed Tony back from her so she could try and read him better because he wasn't making any sense. "Changed my mind about what?"

The usually confident man in front of her ducked his head low, refusing to establish eye contact. Something she found extremely endearing about Tony was how open he was with her about how he was feeling. He wasn't one to open up to just anyone and the fact he chose her to share his deepest emotions with was something truly special. "About wanting to be in a relationship with me."

Pepper sucked in a shocked breath at his admission. She had no idea that Tony felt that way and it cut her to the bone. How could he possibly think she didn't want him? "I haven't changed my mind. I want this. I want this more than anything. I want to be with you, Tony."

At her words of reassurance, he finally raised his head. There was the start of a genuine smile on his face. She could easily tell his real smiles from his fake ones because his real ones reached his eyes, and his eyes would sparkle and crinkle at the corners. He had the most expressive laugh lines she had ever seen. It was hard not to reel him in and start kissing his adorable face. "You sure?"

Who besides her knew that billionaire Tony Stark needed to be reassured he was wanted at every turn? Pepper slipped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him to her in order to place a gentle kiss to his lips. To her relief, she could feel him smiling against her mouth. "I'm positive."

Tony gave her one more peck before snuggling into her shoulder, shivering when her hands found their way into his hair. "It's just...I hate keeping our relationship a secret," he admitted. "I hate it so much. I mean...I get your reservations about going public with it. I really do. I've dealt with the press my entire life and they are vultures but there is still a part of me that just feels like you are embarrassed to be seen with me and that's why you don't want people to know."

Tony didn't know but Pepper actually despised keeping their relationship private as well. She craved to go out with him on an actual date outside of his house. She wanted to be able to hold his hand in public. To be a normal couple that did normal couple things. And then there was this other tiny part of her that at times she didn't want to admit existed that didn't want to deal with the accusations that would follow once their relationship went public.

It was inevitable. It would happen. She worked so hard to get to where she was today but that wouldn't matter. Not when the press found out about her and Tony. They would claim she slept her way to the top. That she had fallen victim to Tony's playboy-ish ways and they would make bets about how long it would be until their relationship fell into shambles. But God...did she really want Tony to think she was embarrassed of him? Was it worth making him feel like that? No. The answer was hell no.

Even though she could feel him fight against it, Pepper pushed Tony back from her so she could meet his eyes and in them she saw how insecure he really was. In that moment, she truly hated herself for making him feel that way because God did she love him. She had loved him for years before she could admit it to herself. She cupped his chin in her hand, not giving him a chance to look away. "I'm not embarrassed of you. I'm so very proud of you. You are an amazing man, and I'm so so lucky to have you in my life."

The storminess in his eyes seemed to decrease with her words. He managed another smile. "It's me who is the lucky one, Pep. I don't know what I would do without you. You are my entire world."

And then he was kissing her, devouring her mouth with his own and anything Pepper had been about to say was lost in the flurry of his lips and teeth and tongue. She wasn't going to let him make love to her in her office again at least for today but now, now she was second guessing herself because holy shit did this man know how to get her all hot and bothered.

"This weekend is just you and me, and I don't plan on leaving the bedroom," he whispered into her ear before latching onto her neck and sucking sucking sucking until her eyes rolled back into her head. The way his tongue was massaging her skin made it difficult for her brain to process information but then she remembered something...

Wait...this weekend? Pepper forced herself to speak even though all she really wanted to do was enjoy the pleasant things Tony was doing to her with his mouth. "Ummm, Tony?" There was no response. Not surprising. He was still attacking her neck and then he slid a hand under her clothing against her skin and tweaked a nipple and she couldn't help but arch against him. "Ah. Fuck. Tony!" What had she been about to say? That's right. "I have to go to New York this weekend," she forced out.

And when Tony pulled away from her, out came the puppy dog expression that he had perfected. He even had the audacity to stick his bottom lip out in a full pout. God did she want to suck that lip into her mouth and bite it. Hard. "Again?"

Pepper sighed. "Yes. Again." And it almost slipped out that she was going to a charity ball with another man. She was sure if she said those words to him now, it would have confirmed his unfounded belief in his mind that she didn't want him. She would tell him. But not now. Later. Much later when they had actually talked in depth about their relationship.

A series of hard knocks on the door made Pepper bolt straight up.

"Miss Potts?" came a oddly familiar female voice from the other side.

She froze in place. Oh crap.

"Miss Potts, I'm sorry to do it this way but your secretary seems to be out and we do have a meeting."

And then it hit her. The woman behind the door was Christine Everhart. Christine Everhart. The reporter. If she found out about her and Tony, nothing good would come out of it. She hated to think about the way she would spin that. How long had she been out there? Had she heard what they had been doing? Double crap.

"Tony!" Pepper hissed as she shot to her feet, trying her best to smooth out the wrinkles in her clothing and fix her "I have clearly just been fucked" hair. "Tony Stark. Make yourself presentable. Now. Christine Everhart is here. I forgot she wanted an interview."

He gave her a lopsided mischievous grin that was all Tony and instead of pulling up his pants and making himself look presentable like she asked, he sprawled himself out across her desk with his hair a complete mess and his tie all askew. He looked utterly edible. From where she stood, she could see he was already ready for round two and he even had the nerve to lie back and stroke himself a few times, never once breaking eye contact with her. Bastard. "Why don't you tell Chrissy or Missy or whoever it is that you are busy and we can get busy. Doesn't that sound like a much better plan, Miss Potts?"

The way her name came off his tongue like a purr almost made her cave. It was tempting. So. Very. Tempting. She wanted to climb on top of him and fuck him into the desk but there was the problem of the reporter on the other side of the door, and she was almost sure this problem wouldn't be okay with just going away. "Anthony Edward Stark," her voice was a low whisper but it held power. "Get your hands off your dick, get your ass off my desk and pull up your pants, right this instant."

Tony's eyes were twinkling with amusement. "Fuck, do I love it when you boss me around." To give him some credit, he did stop touching himself and got off the desk but as he leaned down to pull his pants up, he stopped midway. "Hey, Pep. You have a little something..."

Pepper followed Tony's gaze, glancing down at herself to where his eyes were looking and sure enough, evidence of her getting fucked against the door was running down her leg. "Shit!"

"Have I told you lately you are fucking hot when you swear?" Tony asked as he adjusted his pants.

"Tony!" Pepper was now stumbling across the room toward her personal bathroom to clean up. There was no way she was going to talk to that noisy reporter with semen running down her leg. She needed some time to get ready. "Tony, stall her. Would you? I'll just be a minute."

"Look, Miss Everhard..." She could hear Tony say from her place in the bathroom.

"Everhart." The woman on the other side of the door corrected.

Pepper could hear Tony's throaty chuckle as he laughed at his own joke. Oh God. Maybe she shouldn't have told him to help her. He would likely make things worse. She should have just made him hide in the bathroom until the interview was over. Why hadn't she thought of that sooner? Grumbling to herself, she yanked a wad of toilet paper off the roll and began to clean up in overdrive before Tony did or said something else stupid.

"Yeah, so Miss Potts is busy right now."

"Tony? Is that you?" Christine asked. "Is she in there with you right now?"

"Of course she is. She's just in the bathroom cleaning up."

Did Tony actually just say that? He just told a reporter and a reporter that doesn't care for her that she was cleaning up in the bathroom and who else was in her office but the infamous Tony Stark. That reporter's mind had to be going a mile a minute right about now. "Tony! Tony, what are you doing? Are you fucking serious? You are not helping. Just stop talking. Stop it." Pepper was snarling now but she couldn't help it. The toilet paper stuck to her fingers in several places, and she cursed as she haphazardly washed her hands to try and free herself from it.

"God, Pepper. Feisty!"

And because she was hurrying, she completely forgot about the fact that earlier she had discovered a small leak in the bathroom. A leak in the bathroom that she had forgotten to report because she was running behind. But as her bare foot slipped from beneath her and her arms pinwheeled through the air as she tried but failed to steady herself, she really wished she had taken Tony up on his offer and sent Everhart away. It was her last thought before darkness consumed her.

When she came to, she was lying in Tony's strong arms. His eyes were wide with worry, roaming over her face as he tried to assess her condition. He was stroking her disheveled hair back from her eyes. His lips were moving but she couldn't hear what he was saying. The back of her head was throbbing in time with her pulse. Jeez. She had really bashed her head hard. What had she hit it on? She tilted her head back and saw the smear of blood on the toilet. Oh. That's why it hurt so freaking much. Porcelain to the skull. And when she turned her head away from the toilet that's when she noticed next to Tony kneeling down on the tile floor was none other than Christine fucking Everhart.

"Why are you here?" was the first thing that left her lips.

"Well, I was going to leave but then I heard you scream and I heard Tony in obvious distress so I came in to see if I could help."

Tony. That woman really needed to stop calling him Tony. It was far too personal for her liking and she also did not like how close the reporter currently was to her boyfriend especially since she had actually slept with him. Christine may have claimed to have come in because she was worried about what was happening but the way her eyes were on Tony, she clearly didn't care about her well being. But she sure as hell was examining Tony's appearance and likely drawing her own conclusions about it. At least as far as she could tell, Tony had pulled his pants up but the rest of him was still looking like he had been freshly fucked.

Christine Everhart was not going to be the one to break the story on her and Tony's relationship to the public. Nope. That was not going to happen. Pepper struggled in vain to push herself up but when her stomach heaved violently and the world tilted around her like an amusement park ride, she fell back into Tony's arms, whimpering.

"Woah, Pep! You hit your head pretty hard. Just relax for a minute, okay? Relax. I've got you."

Pepper watched Christine's eyebrows climb at Tony's term of endearment for her. "Pep? Pretty adoring nickname to be calling your CEO."

Pepper's eyes narrowed, not at Tony's slip up but at the knowing smirk on Christine's face. Oh yeah. The bitch was definitely connecting her own dots. Pepper focused her attention back on Tony. He was clearly about to say something to Christine, something that may end up in tomorrow's news if he wasn't careful. Oh God. Oh God. Was this really happening? This was happening, wasn't it? Her stomach twisted and the only thing she could think to do was turn her head to the side so she wouldn't choke on her own vomit and ended up puking all over Christine's shoes in the process. Well, at least it was a diversion and hearing Christine screech in horror was pretty satisfying. Pepper could only hope the shoes weren't salvageable. Serves her right.

"I'm calling an ambulance," Tony ground out.

Pepper grabbed him by the arm, drawing his focus onto her face. "No. No ambulance."

Surprisingly, Tony didn't argue with her. Likely because he knew how the argument would end...with her winning. It would just be a complete waste of time. "I-I'll get Happy then because you are going to the hospital whether you like it or not." If they would have been alone, Pepper would have pointed out all of the times she demanded that he go to the hospital only to have him outright refuse but it definitely wasn't the time or place. Gently as he could, Tony lowered Pepper's head to the floor before scurrying out of the bathroom.

"So, how does it feel to be a notch in the bedpost of the great Tony Stark?"

Pepper blinked up at the blonde. Did she honestly just say that to her? Maybe the blow to her head was making her hear things. That was completely possible.

"I knew it. I knew you two were sleeping together." A hysterical laugh bubbled up out of the reporter's throat as she rose to her feet. "I have a question for you. In the morning, does that mean you take yourself out to the curb or..."

Instead of puking all over her a second time, Pepper squeezed her eyes shut as she swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. "Don't."

"Don't what? Don't call you trash like you once called me? You know, I'm only here because my editor convinced me to meet up with you. This was the last place in the world I wanted to be. But now I have the story of the century. Tony Stark fucking his CEO in her office. Now I know how you got the job and I have quite the sound bite to back it up. Would you care for a listen?"

Pepper bit her lip. She had heard. Not only heard but recorded it. Shit. Shit. Shit. What was she going to do? The bump to her head was making it hard for her to think straight. The pain was too much for her. The lights were too bright. "Christine..."

"You are assuming a lot to think we are on a first name basis."

Fighting against the pain, Pepper forced her unwilling eyes open. "And yet you call him Tony." She couldn't help it. Head injury be damned, she was jealous.

Christine smiled at her. It was all teeth and not friendly. "You know, thanks to my sources, I just found out on the way over here that you are attending a charity ball in New York with Justin Hammer's replacement. If you and Tony are together, why aren't you going with him?"

Pepper's eyes widened.

"Oh my God. He doesn't know you are going...does he?" Christine giggled at this revelation.

How in the hell was she figuring all of this out? She hadn't even said anything. No wonder this woman was a reporter.

"So let me get this straight. You are going to a charity ball with another man and Tony doesn't know? This is good. This is good stuff. You know, I was going to interview Hammer's replacement over the phone but when I was told this wonderful tidbit of information, I decided I should just make a public appearance. So should we reschedule our interview for this Saturday night at the ball? That way I can hit up both you and your date at the same time. That's a yes, right?" Christine was clearly enjoying having the upper hand as she leaned out of the bathroom to check on Tony's status. "You better give me your answer soon because it looks like your man is coming back unless you want me to fill him in on your upcoming plans..."

This was a disaster. This was the worst possible thing that could have happened. This bitch was blackmailing her, and she was actually allowing it. Pepper coughed, almost throwing up again. "I'll do it. Don't tell Tony. Please don't. And the relationship I have with Tony is nobody's business. I expect you will keep that information to yourself.." It was risky for her to go about talking to Christine this way when she had no leverage on her but at this point, it was the only thing she could do.

Christine pursed her lips and gave her a short nod. "Fine. I'll file it away. For now."

Well, that was more than she expected to get from the woman. Pepper wanted to say more, she wanted to say so much more but then Tony was back, helping her to her feet and in came Happy close behind. He started toward Pepper but Tony assured him that he had her and to escort Miss Everhart out.

Wanting to be done with the entire situation, Pepper turned away from Christine as she leaned heavily into Tony's side, savoring the feel of his arm holding her closely against him. "I'm sorry," was the only thing she could think of to say as he led her out of the bathroom.

Tony's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "You don't have to apologize to me."

"Yes, I do." Her head was spinning and her thoughts were foggy but she knew she had to apologize. She screwed up. She screwed up big time. Why had she agreed to go to the ball with a guy she didn't even know? Tony was the love of her life. She should be going with him, not some random yahoo just because the SI board thought it would be a good idea to try and get in good with Hammer Industries now that Justin was out and now Christine Everhart had dirt on her and she knew about her and Tony and she could spin it in a way to make her look bad...too make Tony look bad and he wasn't bad. He was good and and how far was it to the car? Pepper's knees buckled, but Tony was there to catch her, easily scooping her up into his arms and carrying her toward the elevator as if she weighed nothing. As he strode through the hallway with her in his arms, she suddenly began to feel self-conscious. "Tony, what if someone sees?"

Tony looked down at her and frowned. "Think I care what anybody thinks right now? My only priority is you. Getting you medical attention. Making sure you are safe. I can't live without you. I told you, I don't have anyone but you. I meant it."

Overcome by too many emotions that she just could not deal with at the moment, Pepper merely turned her head and buried her nose into his chest. His familiar scent was comforting to her. Tony had always said he didn't deserve her but it was her who didn't deserve him. That was the last thing she thought about before passing out.


	7. Chapter 7

After a full examination that included a CT scan to make sure there was no bleeding on her brain, Pepper was finally released from the hospital. Tony being Tony refused to let her walk even a little bit. Yeah, he was well aware that he was being overprotective and boarding on ridiculous but he honestly couldn't help himself. Happy pulled the car up to the doors, and Tony pushed her out to it in a wheelchair. Instead of letting her walk the few feet that was left to the car, he scooped her up in his arms and despite her obvious protests, carried her to the vehicle where he deposited her on the back seat. He was not going to let anything else happen to her. Not on his watch. No way in hell. He could tell Pepper was in a spoiled mood when he finally slipped into the seat next to her so he requested Happy put up the window partition so they could have some privacy.

"That was really quite unnecessary." Her arms were crossed and she refused to look at him, watching the scenery fly past outside her window. Her back was ramrod straight, body turned as much as she could away from him. Yep. He had upset her. "My legs still work, you know?"

Tony knew that she was absolutely capable of walking without his help. He also knew that Pepper was an extremely independent woman but in that moment, he just couldn't help himself because most of the time, it seemed like she didn't need him. She was completely capable of running both her and his lives without his help. Sometimes it just felt good to feel needed. Even though she was stewing, Tony pressed himself up against her side, needing to be close to her. "But you have a concussion, Pep."

Pepper tore her gaze away from the window, whipping her head around in his direction and the expression on her face almost made him want to cower away from her to the other side of the seat. She was scary when she was upset. Tony was glad she didn't have her usual high heels on because she likely would have stabbed him with one. That's how Tony Stark would die. A stiletto to the face. "Yes. A concussion, Tony. It isn't anything serious. If I remember correctly, you yourself have had concussions on more than one occasion."

Tony frowned, furrowing his brows in frustration. Of course he had concussions in the past but it was different when it came to her. He was Iron Man. Getting injuries was part of his job. She wasn't supposed to get hurt. He was supposed to protect her. "You passed out. More than once. I was worried." Before Pepper could continue to reprimand him, he buried his nose into the crook of her neck, inhaling her comforting scent as he affectionately nuzzled at her skin.

"Tony..." His name was a sigh on her lips.

"You are staying in bed the rest of the day..." He pressed his lips against her skin and felt her shudder. He knew he had broken down her defenses when she tilted her head to the side, inviting him to continue to kiss her. "That is an order."

"Tony, you aren't my boss anymore." She reminded him, her tone playful.

"And I will be joining you because I wasn't done with you earlier." Tony both heard and felt Pepper's chuckle. She wasn't mad at him anymore. Good. He almost purred when she ran her hand up the back of his neck to settle in his hair.

"Is that so, Mr. Stark?"

The way his name rolled off her tongue made his cock twitch. God did this woman turn him on like no one else could. He caressed the column of her throat with his lips and then his tongue, making sure to trail his mustache across the sensitive skin by her ear and was rewarded when an audible gasp left her mouth. "Careful, Miss Potts, or I just might ravish you in the back of this car." His thumb was rubbing circles onto the exposed skin of her thigh. His fingers weren't too far from the hem of her skirt. It wouldn't take much and he could easily slip his fingers underneath it, slide them up her thigh and into her panties. Was she already wet and ready for him because fuck did he want her.

"Enjoying your fantasies there, Mr. Stark?" Pepper's tone was teasing, and he felt her tighten her hold on his hair, almost to the point of pain drawing a groan out of him. "Do they happen to involve me?"

Finally realizing he was panting heavily against Pepper's neck, Tony pulled back to find her eyeing him with obvious amusement. Her could see the desire reflected in those beautiful blue eyes of hers and it made him squirm in his seat. "Just how much of my story did you read, Mr. Stark?" She was now facing him, spreading her legs wide so he could see up her skirt. The way she was playfully staring up at him from under her lashes was her silently asking him to touch her.

And God, did he want to. Tony's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, still unsure of what it was Pepper wanted from him. "Pep..."

Pepper walked her fingers playfully up his arm. "Did you get to the part after the scene we reenacted in my office?"

Oh yeah. Oh yeah, he sure as hell had and it was hot as fuck.

Pepper reached out to guide one of his hands underneath her skirt. "Do you remember what happened when Edward and Victoria got into the car?"

Tony's heart sped up as she moved his hand higher. He could feel the heat coming off of her in waves. Holy fucking shit. This woman was going to make him lose his mind.

"And Happy is up there and he has no idea what what we are doing."

Tony titled his head back, staring up at the ceiling. He tried to focus on slowing his breathing as Pepper made his hand travel higher. "God, Potts. You sure you didn't hit your head so hard it knocked something loose? Are you sure you are my Pepper Potts?"

Pepper's throaty chuckle sent desire spiraling below his belt. "The pain killers took the edge off but yes, Tony. This is the real me. Why wait until we get home to get started?" And then her hand was cupping his dick through his pants squeezing him and he let out a loud groan. Her hands were magic. He was like putty in her hands. Then she shocked him a second time by throwing a leg over him in order to straddle his lap. "God, Stark. You are so aggravating and so damn desirable at the same time. How is that even possible? Half the time I don't know if I want to slap that smug smile off your face or fuck you until you can't remember your own name."

Jesus. If someone had told him a year ago that he would be banging Pepper Potts and that she was kind of a freak in the sheets, he wouldn't have believed it. Not for a second but here he was, living it. It was now his reality. "Both. You can do both if you'd like." The way she was grinding herself down on his lap seeking out friction felt so fucking good. When she bit down on his neck, he moaned, hips coming up off the seat. "God, Pep!" And even though he was thoroughly enjoying Pepper showering him with affection, he suddenly he remembered what the doctor had said and even though his body screamed at him in protest, he pushed her back so her lips could no longer reach his skin. "No, wait a second. The doctor said no vigorous activity for a few days. The last thing I want to do is make things worse for you."

Now it was Pepper's turn to frown. "But Tony, I read something that said sex triggers the release of endorphins, which are the body's natural painkillers and that in turn can reduce, or even eliminate, a headache." She finished her statement by widening her eyes as much as she could and sticking out her bottom lip as far as it could go.

"Pep, are you giving me the puppy dog face? Hey, that's my move!" Tony protested and to give her credit, she wasn't half bad at it.

"Maaaaybe. Come on, Tony." The naughty smirk she gave him made him tingle in all the right places. Oh man did she know how to win him over. He didn't stand a chance against her. He never has. He watched with wide eyes and his heart beating wildly as she slid her hand slowly up her own leg. "Don't you want to make me feel good? I can make myself feel good but you are so much better at it."

Fuck. He had to have her. Now. Letting out a growl, he crashed his lips into hers, reaching down in between them to thrust a finger inside of her and just as he suspected, she was wet.

Pepper allowed him to stroke her for a couple of minutes, sighing in pleasure and arching into him, pressing her cleavage into his face. Tony was really enjoying himself. He loved pleasing Pepper. If he could do it as a full-time job, he would in a heartbeat. He could tell she was getting close to finishing so he was shocked when she reached out to pull him nose to nose with her by his loosened tie. "Remember what happened in the story, Tony?" Her voice came out in short little pants. "Let me refresh your memory."

Tony soon found himself with his back was pressed against the door. His pants and underwear were down around his ankles, legs open as wide as he could get them with Pepper kneeling in between them, his dick in one hand, obviously waiting for something from him. She cocked her head to one side. "Well?"

If he remembered correctly after Edward and Victoria got in the car, Victoria gave Edward head. Actually, Edward had straight up told Victoria to suck his cock. He was supposed to be in the role of Edward, right? Pepper was waiting for him to tell her to go down on him. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Please suck my cock?" The way he said it was more like a question than anything else. He still wasn't use to the whole role playing thing they had going on. Pepper usually just took what she wanted, and he sure as hell didn't demand anything from her because he knew it would end badly. Pepper didn't take orders from him. He took orders from her. That's why this whole thing was so difficult for him to wrap his head around.

Pepper breathed a stream of cool air over his dick, leaning forward to scratch her nails through his dark dress shirt and dig them into the sensitive tissue surrounding the arc reactor. "Order me to suck your cock, Mr Stark."

Tony groaned loudly unable to stop himself from thrusting forward into the grip of her hand. Oh God. Holy shit. If she kept this up, he was going to finish right there in her hand. Come on, Stark. You can do this. She wants to play. Let's play. Think back to the story. What was it that Edward had said to Victoria? Oh yeah. That's right! "Miss Potts, get that bossy little mouth of yours around my cock and suck it."

Without any hesitation, she did what she was told, leaning forward to wrap her lips around his throbbing dick. As her tongue swirled around him, his hands automatically went to her hair, brushing the stray strands from her face. One thing that not many people knew about Pepper Potts, thank God, was she was amazing at giving head. As she licked and sucked him toward ecstasy, he kept his focus on her, watching intently as she hollowed out her cheeks and sucked, the way she seemed to really enjoy what she was doing. When her other hand began to fondle his balls and she flicked his frenulum with the tip of her tongue, he almost gave himself a concussion by throwing his head back into the window. He was close now.

"Pep, I'm gonna come," he groaned.

She popped off and met his eyes. The overwhelming amount of desire he saw in those baby blues was enough to make his heart flutter. "Where do you want me to put it?"

"What?" He was momentarily confused by her question.

Pepper bit her bottom lip and God was she sexy when she did that. Her hand was still on his dick, stroking him at a maddening pace. "Where do you want me to put it? Spit or swallow?"

Tony propped himself up higher on his elbows to admire the sex fiend that was Pepper Potts. Holy shit. He really was going to lose his fucking mind. This woman was perfect for him. He didn't need to think hard about that decision. It was the answer all guys would give if they had the choice. "Swallow."

Pepper licked the precum from the tip of his leaking cock and smiled. "Mmmm. I'm glad you said that. I love the way you taste, Mr. Stark. Wouldn't want to let any go to waste."

Her crass words shocked him into silence. Who knew that beneath the composed professional exterior of the CEO of Stark Industries was a dirty bird. His dirty bird. Her perfect mouth was on him again, her lips and tongue and hands, and his eyes were rolling back in his head as he lost himself. He came hard with her name on his lips. It took him awhile to compose himself enough to form words. When he came back down from his high, Pepper was there lovingly stroking his hair. Oh crap. He hadn't gotten her off yet. "But I thought this was for you." Tony was not a selfish lover. He always made sure the woman he was with came at least once but usually multiple times before he himself finished. This was a first for him.

"That was for me." Now Pepper was helping him make himself presentable once again, making sure to gently tuck him away back into his pants before zipping him up. She even tucked his dress shirt back in and adjusted his tie. "I feel a lot better. I needed that."

"So did I." When she reached out to touch his cheek, he leaned into her as she gently stroked his goatee. "So, what happens next in your story, Miss Potts?"

Pepper's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Let's get back to the house and find out together."


	8. Chapter 8

When she finally got to Tony's house, there was only one thing currently on Pepper's mind: getting clean. Well, there was actually two things on her mind: getting clean and getting thoroughly fucked by Tony. And after the fun stuff came the part she dreaded where she had to tell him about this weekend. That was the part she was not looking forward to but she figured mind-altering sex would lessen the blow. She could only hope he didn't completely freak out when she told him. He would understand. Right. Right? But right now first things first...

"I'm gonna take a shower," Pepper told him as she headed for the stairs, only stopping when she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she turned back, she found Tony openly frowning at her. He was clearly concerned and it was absolutely adorable. She wanted to reach out to smooth the furrow that appeared between his brows.

"Are you sure you should be standing where it is slippery right now? You just hit your head. What if you lose your balance and fall?"

Pepper sighed, trying to hold back her annoyance with his over-protectiveness. Although she really couldn't blame him. She tended to get the same way when he was hurt. "Tony..." She thought he was going to argue with her like he so often did so she was surprised when instead he gave her an even better idea.

"How about a nice hot bath?"

Lying back and relaxing in a nice hot bubble bath did sound nice. Really nice. Pepper reached out to stroke Tony's chin and was rewarded when he leaned into her touch and closed his eyes. "Actually, that sounds perfect."

Tony's eyes flew open and he grinned at her. "I'll have Jarvis run you a bath. No wait. I'll do it myself. Let me pamper you for once. You wait here. Just give me a minute." Before she could object or do much of anything for that matter, he grabbed her face in both of his hands and kissed her senseless before bolting up the stairs, taking two at a time.

Pepper bit down on her bottom lip to stop a hysterical giggle from bubbling up out of her. There was the manic energy she knew was just waiting to burst out of him. That man never did fail to surprise her. It warmed her heart that he wanted to do something special for her. It had been awhile since they had really connected with each other and she needed this. Seems like they both did.

"Pep!" Tony's voice floated down from upstairs.

Pepper found herself smiling at how excited he sounded. "Yes, Tony?"

"You want bubbles?"

"You know it, Mr. Stark," she shot back.

It wasn't too long and he was tromping back down the stairs toward her. He was grinning at her, eyes sparkling like a child on Christmas morning. Watching him skipping down the steps, Pepper was terrified for a moment he was going to trip and break his neck. Luckily for the both of them, that didn't happen. He stopped directly in front of her and offered her an arm. He was buzzing with energy. "Lady Potts, your bath awaits."

Amused by his silly behavior, Pepper snorted a laugh, reaching up to grab his tie and pull him down for a quick kiss before slipping her arm in his and allowing him to lead her up the stairs.

The first thing she noticed when she entered the bathroom was that it smelled wonderful. Tony had obviously added scented bath oil to the tub. What was that? Lavender maybe? As she inhaled through her nose and out through her mouth, she could feel the tension of all of the things that had happened that day leave her body. The lights were dimmed and he had even gone so far to light a few candles for ambiance, setting them near the large clawed tub, which was full of bubbles. Oh, Tony. He was so damn thoughtful. And he was all hers.

Pepper grasped the lapels of Tony's suit jacket, pulling him in for another kiss. His kisses were addictive. She could kiss him all day long but then of course she would never get any work done. And that's why she actually went into work at the physical office. If she stayed with him and tried to do work from here, the business would go under because nothing would get done. Ever. "You sure went all out, didn't you?"

Tony shrugged sheepishly at her, and Pepper could have sworn a blush crept onto his cheeks. Only she was able to make the great Tony Stark blush. "Only the best for you, Pep. Let's get you undressed. Shall we?" Tony helped her out of her clothing. He managed not to grope her until he got to the undergarments. Then all bets were off. His hands cupped the globes of her ass and squeezed, drawing a moan out of her throat along with his name as he dropped kisses along her collarbone, making her shudder. "I'm sorry but I can't keep my hands off you, Potts. You are gorgeous. I can't believe I behaved myself all of those years when all I wanted was to hike up those sexy short skirts of yours and..."

Pepper pressed her finger to his lips, silencing him. She had to stop him now otherwise she wouldn't want a bath. She would want him to take her to bed, and it was hard enough to restrain herself when he looked this damn good. He still hadn't tucked his dress shirt back into his pants and his suit jacket was unbuttoned from their romp earlier in her office. His hair was a mess. His tie askew. Edible. He was fucking edible. "That's enough of that. I need a bath, Stark. I don't need you getting me all worked up." Even though he had the most adorable look on his face, she forced herself to turn from him and step into the tub. The hot water felt amazing Letting her eyes close, she slid down into the water, moaning with appreciation as all of the stress seeped from her body.

"Did I get the temperature right?" Tony's voice was next to her ear but she didn't open her eyes.

"It's perfect," Pepper purred.

"No, you are perfect."

She forced her eyes open and was met with his intense dark gaze only inches from her face. He was on his knees next to the tub, watching her closely. The depth of the emotions she found reflected there made her inhale sharply. He was staring at her as if she was the only thing that mattered in his universe. The expression on his face was disconcerting. And hot. "You know..." He leaned over closer to her, letting his hand dip into the water close to her skin but not touching her. "Baths are more fun with more than one person. I should know."

Pepper drew back, giving him a look of disbelief. He was going to do this now? Really? "I really don't want to know what you did in here in the past. I'm trying to enjoy this."

Tony put his hands up in surrender. "Actually, this one has never been broken in."

Well, that was news to her. With the way he went through women, she was pretty sure that every single surface of his house had been fucked on at some point in time. She knew for a fact that his personal shower had been broken in. More than once. By more than two people at a time. Once she had found Tony in the shower with four girls and...yeah, she didn't want to think about that right now. She currently had other ideas. "Oh really? Well, then. Let's see if we can change that, hmmmm?" Pepper grinned as Tony's eyebrows climbed skyward.

"Potts...what are you up to?"

Giving him a naughty smirk, Pepper's arms disappeared underneath the bubbles. Slowly and sultry, she moved her hands up her legs and in between her thighs, letting out a short moan when she brushed a thumb over her sex to rest on her clit. "You can't see what's going on underneath all these bubbles but it feels soooooo good."

Tony stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. "You are so mean."

Pepper slid down further into the tub, lying her head back as she continued to pleasure herself under the cover of the mountain of bubbles with Tony watching her attentively. His eyes had darkened another shade. They seemed almost black in the current lighting. His mouth was open and she could see the tip of his tongue. "Oh God, Mr. Stark. If only you could see what I'm doing to myself..."

"That's it." Tony was naked in record-breaking time. Pepper let out a surprised yelp as the water sloshed over the side of the tub, and Tony took his place next to her in the water. He maneuvered behind her so that she was between his legs lying back on his chest. She rested her head on his shoulder, turning her face into his neck to nuzzle him, inhaling the intoxicating scent that was purely Tony. After being away from him for most of the day, it felt so good to have him close once more. The feel of his skin sliding against hers made her tremble and she gasped when she adjusted her position to find he was hard against her back. Then his hand was on top of hers, his lips next to her ear. "Show me what you were doing, Miss Potts."

When he flicked his tongue over the edge of her ear, a spike of desire shot through her. She couldn't help but arch back into him, wanting him to take her right then and there but when she tried to turn around, he held her in place. "Tony," her voice was a whine and quite frankly she didn't care if he gave her shit for it later. She needed him. She needed him inside her now. She felt the vibrations of his deep chuckle at her neediness.

"Show me how you like to be touched."

He damn well knew how she liked to be touched but God. The way his voice rumbled in his chest. This scenario was hotter than anything in her story. This was hotter than anything she could have ever came up with. Tony was hot. Pepper's heart was hammering hard as she brought her and Tony's hands slowly up her thigh. If she had been turned on earlier, she was fucking out of her mind aroused now. The way this man touched her. God. He knew her inside and out. She knew it would be all too easy for him to make her orgasm and she wanted this to last so she started out slow, bringing his hand up to cup her femininity. He growled impatiently, flicking his thumb over her clit. She gasped and whispered his name.

In a tortuously slow motion, he traced her folds with his nimble fingers while sucking on her earlobe. He did this for a minute or so before he began to stroke her clit in a rhythm that made warmth begin to pool in her belly. Warmth that had nothing to do with the hot water she was soaking in. He was touching her just the way he knew she liked. The right pressure. The right speed. Everything about it was right.

"Mmmm. Just like that."

"Yeah, baby. Talk to me. You like that, Miss Potts?"

When he bit down on her collarbone and began sucking at her oversensitive skin she couldn't contain the strangled moan that came out. If there had been anyone else in the house, they likely would have heard her and right now, with Tony touching her the way he was, she couldn't bring herself to give a shit. "God, Stark!" From the pressure he was applying with his mouth, she knew he was going to leave a mark to match the other hickey she noticed he had given her back in the office but fuck it. She knew how to use concealer like a champ and it felt so good to have him nipping and sucking on her. She was just going to go with it. "Mark me, Mr. Stark. Mark me so everyone knows I'm yours."

Her words made Tony growl possessively and bite down harder. The pain tipped into pleasure and Pepper buried her free hand into the thick hair of his head, urging him to continue what he was doing as she pressed back into him, feeling the hard muscles of his chest moving underneath his slick skin. "Oh fuck, Tony." Another thing she also knew about Tony was he loved it when she cursed while they were having sex. She normally wasn't one to throw expletives around in every day conversation unless Tony had really really pissed her off but in the bedroom, fuck was her favorite word. "You make me feel so fucking good, baby."

Tony's hot breath on the side of her face made her shiver. "I'm gonna make you come so hard you're gonna see stars."

When Tony's other hand slid underneath her to massage her perineum, her eyes rolled back in her head and she gasped. Pepper wasn't a virgin by any means but compared to the things Tony knew how to do, she may as well be. He did things to her that in the beginning of their relationship she wasn't even sure she would ever be into but when he did it, God was she ever into it. His skillful fingers caressed her both at the front and back making her squirm against him. When he finally penetrated her on both ends, she came completely unglued, shouting his name. Her orgasm slammed into her all at once making her squeeze her eyes shut as the tsunami of pleasure overtook her. With his fingers still moving inside her and his mouth on her neck sucking, he was the only thing that existed. Just Tony. Tony. Tony. Tony. Her Tony. The pleasure went on for what seemed like ages and when it finally began to ebb off and Tony removed his fingers, she collapsed back onto his chest panting heavily.

He brushed the strands of hair that had stuck to her face out of the way as he leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to her cheek. "You okay?"

"More than okay." She knew she was smiling like a complete idiot but she didn't care. All she knew was she was completely sated and currently floating on cloud nine. An orgasm administered by Tony Stark was better than any drug on the market. She could still feel his erection pressing against her back. Feeling playful once again, she turned to face him, running a hard up his leg toward the prize. "What about you, Mr. Stark? Want me to jerk you off in the tub?" Tony's eyes went wide as Pepper wrapped a hand around his dick and she began to slowly stroke him from base to tip. "Just think about it. Me sitting in a tub full of your cum. Does that make you hot, Stark?"

"Holy shit, Potts." Oh yeah. He was totally into it. Playing with Tony was so much fun. Pepper had one hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she stroked his cock. He began to buck up into her hand urging her on. "You are so dirty. I fucking love it."

Pepper tightened her grip and speed, making sure to press her bouncing breasts into Tony's shocked face. It took him a second but he recovered quickly, shoving his nose into her boobs. "I'm going to be an even dirtier girl when you blow your load for me."

"Jesus Christ, Pepper!" He came with a shout, immediately collapsing against Pepper as his chest heaved.

"Well, that was fun," Pepper quipped, rubbing his back to soothe him as he came back down from his high. He felt limp and completely boneless in her arms and she was afraid if she let go of him, he would slide down into the tub and drown. "Did you have fun, Tony?" When he mumbled something that wasn't even remotely close to an answer, she laughed and pressed a kiss to his ear. "Did I leave the great Tony Stark unable to form words?"

"Mmmhmm, Pep. Soooo gooood. Loooove yooooou."

She could feel him smiling, his facial hair tickling her skin. He truly did love her. That she was 100% sure of. And yet she was keeping their relationship a secret. And yet she was going to go to a charity ball as another man's date. He always told her that he didn't deserve her. It was she who didn't deserve him. Overcome by a sudden wave of emotion, Pepper hugged him tightly against her, placing kisses to every place she could currently reach without moving away from him. "I love you too, Tony."

It was then she finally took the time to notice her surroundings. They had made quite the mess. It looked like more water was now out of the tub than in it. They needed to get out soon. The water was getting chilly. The goosebumps forming all over both her and Tony's exposed skin was proof of that.

"Guess we both need a shower now to clean up, huh?" Tony asked, finally having regained his ability to speak. "Care to share one?"

Pepper smirked, giving him a playful shove on the shoulder as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her. "No funny business though. We actually need to get clean this time."

Tony gave her a lopsided grin full of mischief that made her stomach do flips. "No promises from me, Pep. When it comes to you, you know I can't keep my hands to myself." When he rose from the tub first, stepping out to grab a fluffy white robe, Pepper took the time to appreciate his strong compact form. He could be an artist's model. Pepper's wonderful view was blocked when he held the robe out for her, and she let him wrap it around her naked body. He then tied a matching towel around his waist and wrapped a strong arm around her, guiding her toward the shower in his bedroom.

"I saw you ogling me just now, Pep. Don't try to deny it."

She was. She totally was but he had a big enough ego as it was. In response to his comment, Pepper merely pressed her lips against his shoulder in a quick kiss. As soon as they entered Tony's master bath, he took the robe from her, hanging it up before unwrapping his own towel. Pepper didn't wait for him. She stepped into the shower and was greeted by hot sprays of water. Her legs bowed suddenly and then Tony was there, wrapping his arms around her, keeping her from collapsing.

"See? Aren't you glad I joined you?"

Pepper hummed in agreement, allowing him to support most of her weight as she leaned into him, enjoying being embraced by this amazing, intelligent, smart-assed man. The feel of his skin against hers and the hot water pounding down between them was the perfect combination. It would be all too easy to stay in here for hours.

"Want me to wash your hair?" Tony asked, once her legs had become stable enough to support herself again.

"Yes, please."

She moaned in contentment as he gently massaged the shampoo into her scalp, taking extra special care as to not press too hard on the back of her head where she had hit it earlier. It was always amazing to her how Tony could switch from sex fiend to gentle caretaker in the blink of an eye. He was definitely an anomaly but she wouldn't want it any other way.

"This okay?" he asked as his fingers worked their magic.

Pepper could only nod. Now she was the one who was unable to form words. He was so good with his hands. It seemed like they were capable of doing anything. He helped her rinse the suds from her hair and then applied conditioner, massaging it with the same care he had taken earlier. When he finished with her hair, he ran a loofah soaped up with her favorite vanilla scented body wash all over her body. Under normal circumstances, having him cleaning her breasts and between her legs would have been erotic but now it was merely him taking care of her.

"Your turn," Pepper said when he had washed every part of her, taking the loofah and beginning to tend to him. As Pepper cleaned his chest, his eyes fluttered closed and he murmured her name softly.

Tony definitely wasn't tall by any means but he certainly wasn't small. He was a strong man. He had muscles. Lots of nice defined muscles that begged for her touch. His shoulders. His arms. His abs. His ass. God. He was perfect. She still remembered the time he told her about making his first suit. The image of him hammering away, all dirty and sweaty, it got her all hot and bothered. Even though it pained her, she blinked the pleasant image away so she could get back to the task at hand. Taking her time, she ran the loofah over the arc reactor that was now just as much a part of him as his signature Stark smile. She was glad the dark lines that the palladium poisoning had left finally disappeared because it had been a reminder that she had almost lost him. Again. She still didn't know how she had missed that he had been so sick. But then again, he had been doing his best to distract her. She didn't know how much weight he had lost from the poisoning until the first time they made love the night of the Expo after he removed his shirt and she had touched him. It had been bad. Really bad. She leaned forward pressing a kiss to his chest piece before leaning against him, willing the tears not to come.

Obviously sensing her distress, Tony's arms immediately came up around her. "You okay, Pep?"

"I'm fine. Let me do your hair now." From the expression on Tony's face, he wasn't buying that she was fine but he wasn't about to argue about it either.

It was times like this she was actually glad he wasn't much taller than she was. It made it easy for her to wash his hair. He practically purred under her touch.

"Have I told you how much I love it when you put your hands in my hair?"

Pepper chuckled, pressing a kiss to his throat,feeling his Adam's apple bob under her lips as he swallowed. "Only a few hundred times but that's okay. I will never get sick of it." Knowing that Tony was clearly enjoying the attention, she took a lot longer than necessary to wash his hair. When she was all done, she turned the water off and took his hand, pulling him out of the shower after her. She grabbed his towel and before he could protest, proceeded to dry him off from head to toe. She ended by ruffling the towel in his hair making it stand up in the process. He gave her a silly smile that she was pretty sure he only did for her and did the same to her, trying to towel dry her hair as she squeaked and swatted at him playfully trying to get away from his assault. "Tony! You can't dry my hair like this or it will be frizzy! I'll have to wash it again! Anthony Stark!"

A loud yelp filled the bathroom when he scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder, carrying her out into the bedroom as if she weighed nothing. He deposited her onto the bed, disappearing back into the bathroom before coming back out fully dressed moments later, holding out one of his favorite band shirts and a pair of her favorite comfy underwear for her. As he leaned down and helped her into the clothes he had picked out, she got a little choked up at how caring he was being with her.

After propping Pepper up on on mountain of pillows and wrapping her up like a burrito in the comforter, he set the laptop on her lap. "Why don't you just relax and do a little bit of writing? Is there anything else I can get you before I head down to the workshop? You want some food? French? Italian? Chinese? Thai? If you want something from somewhere specific, I can jump in the suit and get it. Just name it and it's yours."

He was currently being so damn agreeable she couldn't help but reach out and pull him to press her lips against his. His mouth immediately opened under hers and they kissed deeply for a few minutes, tongues entwining with each other. If only he was always this willing to please. Although if he was, she was sure she would eventually miss their playful banter. She ended the impromptu make-out session with a gentle nip to his bottom lip, gently pushing him back. "I'm fine, Tony. Just promise me you won't stay up too late. Don't make me get out of this bed and drag your stubborn ass to bed."

Tony chuckled. "I promise I'll come to bed in a bit. I just have a bit of tinkering to do on the suit."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Oh no. I know what that means. I won't see you for a week."

"Oh stop it, Potts. I'll be up in a couple of hours. I swear. I just have a few minor adjustments to make."

Yeah. She would believe that when she saw it. A few minor adjustments in Tony speak was likely three days. Maybe a week. Giving her one final smile, Tony turned from her and left her alone with her thoughts. She began to type...

"Pep?"

"Mmmmm, Tony," Pepper mumbled groggily. She was so warm and comfy. She didn't want to move.

"Pepper, wake up. Something happened. I gotta go."

At the sound of urgency in Tony's voice, Pepper shot up straight in bed, coming face to face with her boyfriend. Her laptop was still open on her story. The lamp next to the bed was still on. Shit. She must have fallen asleep while writing. "Go?" She rubbed her eyes trying to force them to adjust quickly to the light. It was then she realized Tony was in his neoprene flight suit. Oh God. He was going on a mission.

Tony reached out to push a strand of hair out of her eyes. "The world needs Iron Man."

No. Not a mission. Not now. Not when she planned on telling him about this weekend. She reached out and pulled him down onto the bed next to her. "I need Iron Man." I need to tell you something. I don't want you to go. Please don't go.

Tony gave her a sad smile. "Nah. You don't need me. That's been proven time and time again. I on the other hand absolutely need you."

"Please, Tony. Don't go."

"I have to. I'll only be gone a couple of days at most."

Days?! Days?! No! He couldn't be gone for days. She needed to talk to him. She needed to tell him about the charity ball. What if he didn't get back in time and she didn't get to tell him before she left? Pepper surged forward wrapping her arms around his shoulders, pulling him tightly against her. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Words couldn't describe how proud she was of the man he had become but that didn't make it any easier for her to let him go. What he did was dangerous. There could be a time when he went out and didn't come back and the thought of having to live without him was unbearable. Her entire world had revolved around him for so long She didn't think she could live in a world without Tony Stark in it.

"I'm coming back to you. I swear. I could never leave you, Pep. Not for long." When he pulled back from her to meet her eyes, she was unable to contain her emotions any longer. She lunged forward, pressing her mouth to his and shoved her tongue down his throat. Her laptop almost clattered to the floor as she climb into his lap, needing to be close to him.

He groaned against her ear as she ground her crotch down onto his growing erection, his hands going to her hips. "Jesus, Pepper."

"Are you sure I can't persuade you to stay?" Pepper said in the most sultry tone she could muster.

Tony let out a frustrated sound low in his throat before nipping her earlobe. "God, I wish I could but Rhodey is already downstairs waiting for me in full getup. Otherwise I would fuck you into the mattress."

Knowing that she was beaten Pepper sighed, letting her head drop onto his shoulder. She was only delaying the inevitable. She couldn't talk him out of it. He was going. Placing a swift kiss to his jaw, she moved out of his lap. "Come back to me soon. Stay safe."

"Will do. Love you, Pep." He gave her one last kiss before rising from the bed.

"Love you too, Tony," Pepper whispered as he disappeared through the doorway. It was then Pepper realized she hadn't even asked what exactly was going on or where he was going. Shit. She would have to call and check in on him later just to make sure he was okay. With Tony now on a mission for God knows how long, she sure as hell wasn't going back to sleep any time soon so she reached over to grab her laptop and began to write.


	9. Chapter 9

Pepper wrote for hours interrupted. After Tony left, the words just seemed to flow out of her and her fingers could barely keep up with all of the thoughts pouring out of her head. At some point in the wee early hours of the morning, she finally drifted off into a restless sleep where she was plagued by vivid nightmares. Nightmares where she woke up tangled in her sheets, sweating and screaming for Tony. Twice Jarvis asked her if she was okay after she bolted from the bed in a panic. She was forced to say yes even though she was far from being okay. The nightmare had been so real that she had woken up with tears on her cheeks, sure that Tony was dead.

The third time she woke up it was close enough to her usual wake up time that she didn't dare go back to sleep. Not after dreaming about finding Tony dead from palladium poisoning after he promised he was fine. It had felt so real. She needed to call him. She needed to hear his voice. With violently shaking hands, she dialed Tony. After trying to reach him several times with no response, she began to get even more worried and started to nervously pace the floor. After seeing his dark eyes staring up at her unblinking where she had found him unresponsive on the floor, she needed to talk to him. "Jarvis?"

"Yes, Miss Potts?"

"Is Tony okay?" Jarvis would know. The AI had a version of himself uploaded into Tony's suit. As she waited for him to respond to her question, she stopped in front of the bathroom mirror. She had to do a double take because at first it seemed like she was looking at someone else. But no. It was her. And she looked absolutely terrible. There were dark circles under her eyes. Her hair, thanks to Tony's towel drying, was a frizzy red awful mess. The hickeys on her neck were darker than she could have ever imagined. Oh wow. Now she was unsure if she had the shade of concealer she would need to cover them up. A fun scarf would have to do.

"I assure you he is fine, Miss Potts," Jarvis' voice snapped her back to reality. "He is just currently unable to answer your call. He will return it when he can."

Relief coursed through Pepper as she sagged against the sink. He was okay. Now she could relax. At least for a little bit. "Thank you, Jarvis. That makes me feel better."

"Happy to be of service. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, Jarvis. That's all I needed. I'm going to work."

Now, if Tony hadn't been away on a mission, Pepper knew for a fact he wouldn't have wanted her to go into work. But since he was gone, well, there was nothing else to do but lie around and worry about him and that did not sound like a fun way to pass the time. Plus she did have several important meetings today that she really did not want to have to reschedule. Her head did smart a little but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She popped a few Aspirin to help with the pain in her head and began to get ready for the day.

After an exceedingly long hour and a half of prettying herself up, she actually didn't look too bad. The patterned scarf that accompanied her black pant suit (and hid Tony's love bites) was actually pretty cute. Once she found the perfect pair of heels to accent her outfit, she trotted down the stairs all the way to Tony's workshop when she entered her access code. She was almost positive that Tony had told Happy he had the next few days off because he planned on Pepper staying in bed. Of course, plans change and now she had to find her own way to work.

Her heels clicked across the floor, echoing loudly around her as she made her way toward her car. But as she was grabbing the handle to open the door, she stopped, her eyes raking over the car next to hers. A smile spread across her lips. Oh yeah. It was calling her name. She abandoned her own vehicle and slipped into the driver seat of Tony's Audi R8. She grabbed the key from out of the visor and started the engine. Pepper wasn't really into cars but she had to admit this one was really nice. Just as she pulled out of the driveway and onto the open road, a call came through.

"Hey!"

Pepper grinned widely at the sound of Tony's voice, slipping a pair of his sunglasses onto her nose. "Hey, yourself. How are you?"

"I'm doing good. Ummmm, where are you? It sounds like you are driving."

"I am driving. I'm going to work."

"Pepper..."

She could sense the rising frustration in his voice. She knew he was going to be upset with her once he found out she was no longer in bed. Even so, she tried to play innocent. "Yes, Tony?"

"You should be resting. You don't need work stressing you out. Turn the car around and go back to the house."

Pepper tightened her grip on the wheel, trying her hardest not to lose her temper. It was absolutely maddening how quickly she could go from wanting to hug him to wanting to hang him up by his nuts. "You know I can't do that. I have meetings I have to attend."

"Just cancel them. The meetings can wait."

Pepper sighed. "Look. Tony, I'm fine. I swear. Look if it becomes too much for me, I will leave and go rest. I promise."

"Fine," he grumbled and even though she couldn't see him, she knew exactly what face he was currently making. At least her words seemed to pacify him, at least for the time being. "Unfortunately, I have to go. I'll talk to you later." And then he had disconnected the call before she could say goodbye. She let out a grumble of annoyance as she pulled into the Stark Industries parking garage. That man...

Meetings. Her day was full of meeting after meeting. It was an unusually extra busy day, and she was actually grateful for that because it didn't give her time to daydream about all of the bad things that could be happening to Tony. She didn't even have time for lunch. By the time the working day was over and it was time to leave, she was starving and completely exhausted. As she drove Tony's car back to his house, she had to focus hard on staying awake behind the wheel. She called Tony to listen to his voice and tell him how much she missed him.

As Tony explained how things had gotten even more complicated and he didn't know exactly when he would be able to come home, Pepper's chest grew tighter and tighter. It looked like it was going to be another night alone in Tony's bed. It was too big for one person. Too big and too lonely. Even with that being the case, she tried to keep her tone positive at least for Tony's sake. She could tell by his voice that he was tired and possibly injured though he wouldn't admit to that over the phone.

When she finally hung up with him, she had made it back to his place. It was a struggle to make it up the stairs. While Jarvis ordered Chinese food from her favorite place, she got ready for bed, and once she was dressed in one of Tony's favorite t-shirts, she snuggled up with a blanket on the couch and turned on a sappy movie. She stuck her nose in the collar of his shirt, inhaling his scent. It was the only way she could relax while he was away on a mission, wearing one of his unwashed t-shirts. It made her feel closer to him.

And that was how the next few days went. And every single day that Tony didn't return, she got more and more uneasy. She talked to him at least twice a day to assure herself that he was truly okay. Then it happened. Friday night came and there was still no Tony. She would be leaving for New York in the morning, and she still hadn't talked to him about the ball. Shit. This was definitely not how she wanted things to go. It was going to be a televised event. The media would be swarming all over and he was sure to see her and her date posted all over every single form of media there was. When her phone rang, she dove across the couch for it almost knocking her glass of wine over.

"Hey gorgeous," Tony purred. "I've got some good news."

Pepper immediately perked up, a smile filling her face. She couldn't remember the last time she had smiled. It felt like forever ago. "Are you coming home tonight?"

"No, but I'll be home tomorrow."

Her face fell. Tomorrow. Tomorrow when she would be leaving. Well, maybe if he got there early enough..."What time will you be here?"

"I dunno. Should be around noonish, maybe later."

Pepper let out a sigh, collapsing back into the cushions. That was exactly what she feared. She squeezed her eyes closed and rubbed her temples, trying in vain to stave off a developing migraine. "I have to fly to New York, Tony. Remember?"

"Ah crap. You have that charity ball, right?"

"Yeah..." She sure was going to that ball. Thanks to the Stark Industries Board. As another man's date. Another powerful man's date.

"I guess that means I'll see you Sunday?" Tony asked. He sounded a little sad.

She couldn't blame him. She was sad too. She was going to need more than one glass of wine to make it through tonight. Tonight felt like an entire bottle of wine night. Or two. Yeah, likely two bottles and a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream. "Yeah, I guess."

"Pep, are you okay?"

At times Tony was completely oblivious to how she was feeling but tonight, he was really on the ball, picking up all of her cues and she really did not need him doing that. Not while he was away. She was feeling guilty as hell, and the fact that he sounded so innocent was making matters worse. She needed to tell him about her date but not over the phone. Not when it could possibly be a distraction and put him in harm's way. She had to keep it to herself. At least for now. "I just miss you. I miss you so much." That wasn't a lie. She did miss him terribly.

"Miss you too, Pep. I love you. I'll see you Sunday. Have a good night."

As soon as she ended the call with Tony, she grabbed the open bottle of wine on the coffee table and took a long swig. So Tony was coming back after she was scheduled to be flying out to New York. Great. Just great. Even with that being the case, she couldn't let him find out after it happened. There had to be a way for her to tell him. She was one and a half bottles in when the most extraordinary idea came to her. It was perfect! At least her fuzzy brain thought it was. She pulled out her laptop and wiggled her fingers over the keys.

"Okay, Edward. Time for you to crash this party."


	10. Chapter 10

When Tony arrived home and was finally able to extract himself from the suit, he was exhausted. The suit needed a few minor repairs but he wasn't in the mood to make them. Quite frankly, the only things he really wanted to do was shower and then sleep. Sleep a whole hell of a lot. He hadn't really slept since he left Pepper and it was finally catching up to him. As he ascended the stairs from the workshop, he winced as his muscles protested against any more physical activity. He could really benefit from a massage from Pepper. The way she used her perfect little hands on his body, knowing just the right way to touch him..Pepper, he sighed longingly. He really wished she was here right now. She would take care of him. Yeah, he was a grown ass man but he loved it when he would come home and she would be there to help fix him up. Now the house was empty, and he was suddenly so terribly lonely. The thought of Pepper not coming back until tomorrow almost made him whine. H needed her. He needed to feel her arms around him and since that was currently not an option, he settled for the next best thing.

Suddenly giddy with excitement, he took the stairs up to his room two at a time as he called her phone, grinning from ear to ear as he waited for her to pick up. To his utter dismay, it went directly to her voicemail. He frowned. That was odd. She almost always picked up when she knew he was on a mission. And why would her phone be off anyway? The charity ball wouldn't have began just yet. It was too early for that. Maybe she was busy getting ready. He knew from personal experience how long she took to get around for a special event. Yeah, that had to be it. Maybe she was in the shower. Mmmm...Pepper in the shower. And with that thought, he was instantly hard and wanting nothing more than to fuck her. Whelp. He knew what he was going to fantasize about while he jerked himself off. Pepper Potts wet and naked and writhing under the hot spray of water, running her hands all over her body and holy shit. He needed to get off. Now.

Aches and pains forgotten for the moment, he practically darted across the room toward the master bath in serious need of some release. After all, it had been days since he had seen any below-the-belt action. As he scurried by the bed, his attention was drawn to Pepper's laptop. It was sitting open on top of the covers. A bright neon pink post-it was attached to the middle of the screen. It was a note from Pepper. Even with the insistent throbbing between his legs, he paused to read it.

Tony, I'm so glad you made it back. Hopefully you aren't too badly banged up. :) Please remember to tend to your wounds. I will ask Jarvis if you actually cleaned them so don't even think about trying to lie to me. Make sure you re-hydrate and eat something...and by eating something I do not mean snack cakes. Eat some real food. I left some for you in the fridge. It better be gone when I see you again. I miss you so much. I really needed to talk to you before I left but settled for the next best thing. Why don't you find out what Victoria is up to? Love you, Pepper

Tony cocked his head in question. Well, he had wanted to fresh up first along with tending to his baser needs but now his curiosity was getting the best of him. The shower could wait. Pepper wasn't around to see or smell him anyway. It was probably good she wasn't there because he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't tackle her and go to town. He sat down on the bed, pulled the computer onto his lap, forcing his focus away from the pulsing problem underneath the laptop and began to read.

Victoria honestly could not believe she allowed herself to be put in this kind of position. Normally, she was the one in charge of her own life (along with Edward's) but now, it seemed like everything was spiraling out of her control. She hated herself for not telling Edward about her date to the upcoming charity ball and to be fair, she had really wanted to. After they had finally admitted their true feelings for each other, he had been called away on a mission. The last thing she wanted to do was put something else on his plate, something that could potentially distract him. The date hadn't even been her idea. It had been pushed on her by the members of the board but they had assumed she was single because she had asked Edward to keep their relationship out of the public eye, at least for awhile while they figured things out. Now, as she was boarding Edward's company jet to leave, she really began to regret her decision.

Tony's brows furrowed in confusion when he realized there wasn't anything more to read. "Why isn't there anymore?"

"I do believe it is because the rest has not happened yet, sir," Jarvis replied assuming Tony required a response.

Lost in thought, Tony drummed his fingers on his chest piece. "Wait, if Victoria is Pepper..."

"Come on, sir. I know you can do it."

Tony shot an annoyed glance toward the ceiling as if his snarky AI had an actual physical presence. "Shut up, J." Then the realization of what she had written slammed into him full force causing his eyes to widen in shock. "So, Pepper is actually going to the charity ball with someone else? Is that what she is trying to get across with this? Why didn't she tell me?"

"From the behavior she exhibited while you were away, I'm almost positive she did want to tell you. She was quite distressed when she realized you would not be back before she left. I seriously doubt she wanted to tell you about her date while you were on a mission."

Tony squeezed the bridge of his nose. "So I gather the SI board basically set Pepper up on a blind date with what's-his-face of Hammer Industries?"

"His name is Maximilian Montgomery III, sir."

Tony barked a cynical laugh. "God. He even sounds like a tool!"

"He is far from being a tool, sir. In fact, according to several online sources, ever since he's moved here, he is one of America's most eligible bachelor's even more so than you."

Tony wasn't about to dignify Jarvis with a response. He minimized Pepper's story and began searching the internet for this Maximilian Montgomery III. The brief article he skimmed over actually had the gall to compare him to this man and said that Montgomery was hot and Stark was not. Montgomery was born into riches but unlike Tony, his parents were still alive. The man was in his early thirties. Single. Never been married and of course he was from England so he probably had an accent that women swooned over. He was tall, dark and handsome. Tony had two of the three in the bag but tall? Not so much.

But what if...what if Pepper ended up liking this guy? Pepper did have reservations about going public with their relationship and what if...what if she decided Maximilian was a better option? From what he read about the man, Maximilian did have fewer skeletons in his closet than he did. He didn't have sex tapes and naked photos of himself leaked all over the internet. Pepper didn't have to personally escort the women in his bed out the door in the following morning. Tony didn't just have a little bit of baggage. He had an entire cargo bay full of it.

"Sir," Jarvis' voice interrupted his thoughts. "There is a television broadcast of the event currently streaming. Would you like for me to play it?"

"Put it on the screen, J."

Tony became fixated on the images before him. It was early but people were already starting to show up in their fancy cars. The event was taking place at one of Montgomery's new buildings. Of course it was. From what Tony read, the man was almost as big of a show-off as he was. The building was structurally gorgeous, towering over all others surrounding it. It had to be what...fifty or sixty stories. There was a crowd of reporters out front, greeting the arriving guests and snapping photos, trying to shove their way to the front in order to ask questions.

And that's when he saw Maximilian Montgomery exit a black Rolls Royce, stopping next to the open door to hold out his hand. Tony watched as he helped his date out of the backseat, his eyes growing wide as the woman revealed herself. It was Pepper. And she looked absolutely stunning, just as beautiful as she did the night they almost kissed for the first time on the roof of the Disney ballroom. She wore a full length soft pink sequined dress which clung to her curves in all the right places. He noticed the slit that exposed one of her long legs. Her hair was styled in loose waves. He watched as Montgomery offered her his arm and with a smile that made a fire ignite deep in Tony's belly, she gladly accepted it. They almost seemed like a happy couple. Almost. Tony's eyes were glued on the screen, watching Montgomery's every move like a hawk. If he even looked at her the wrong way, he would blast him into next week. Just before they disappeared inside, Montgomery's hand moved to her lower back and Tony didn't bother to suppress the growl that left his lips.

Montgomery and Pepper were about to have an elaborate four course meal together and then spend the night dancing with each other. That man would have his hands all over Pepper's bare back and possibly in other places as well. Montgomery was single and to all outward appearances so was Pepper. At least that's what everyone believed. Was the great Tony Stark jealous? Hell yeah he was. And as the seconds ticked on with the two now out of his sight, Tony's mind went wild with what could possibly be transpiring between the two of them. This was not going to fly. Not with him. He couldn't lose her. "Jarvis, just how badly is the suit damaged? Is it still safe for sustained flight?"

"It is completely safe for flight. What are you thinking, sir?"

Tony ran a hand through his hair causing it to stick up in every direction possible. "I'm thinking I'm going to New York. Jarvis, ready the suit. I'm going to make myself look pretty."

"But sir, you are already pretty."

That made Tony smile. "Stop sucking up, J. Get the suit ready. I'm leaving in twenty."

"Yes, sir."

He took the fastest shower he had ever taken in his entire life, making sure to clean all of the blood and sweat from his body. After all, he had to look his best to compete with Mr. Montgomery. He examined himself closely in the mirror. You know, for having the shit kicked out of him for the past few days, he didn't look half bad. There was a small cut above his left eyebrow and the area around his right eye was a little puffy but that was it. His chest on the other hand was a mess of lacerations and bruises. He may have bruised his ribs but that was nothing he couldn't handle. He didn't want to risk bleeding through his dress shirt so he wrapped thick bandages around his torso, making sure to cut a hole for the reactor. It would work as a binding for his aching ribs as well. He then set to grooming himself. Once his mustache and goatee were perfectly sculpted, he styled his hair. The helmet would likely mess with it a bit but it wouldn't be anything a quick run through with his hands couldn't fix. After making sure he looked and smelled damn good if he did say so himself, he grabbed his black Armani tux, white dress shirt and his leather dress shoes and tossed them all onto the bed in a pile. His dark eyes flicked to the screen once more. "Get ready, Victoria because Edward is coming for you."


	11. Chapter 11

"Pepper, are you ready? What is taking you so long?" came Happy's concerned voice from the other side of the closed bedroom door. He had been waiting for her to get ready for the past two hours and was obviously growing restless. "We have to get going."

Pepper was seated at her vanity, currently applying mascara to finish her look. "Happy, I told you before. Maximilian is picking me up. You don't have to stay."

"I'm not going anywhere. I don't trust him. He looks shifty to me."

Pepper rolled her eyes at his over-protectiveness. Not that she could really blame him. Much. He had watched over Tony and dealt with his antics all of these years so he was always thinking something crazy was going to go down. "Happy, you haven't even met the guy yet. He is picking me up so I don't need you to drive. He already has his own driver. You don't have to go."

"I got a bad vibe about him, Pepper. I'm not leaving you alone with him. You may not need me to drive but I'm not leaving you. Not when Tony isn't here. If anything happened to you, he would kill me. I'll take the car and follow you."

Pepper let out an annoyed sighed and realized she should just accept the fact that Happy was going to be her shadow all night long. She felt like she was back in high school when he dad was a bit overbearing when it came to her dating. She half expected Happy to grab a baseball bat and threaten her date to have her back by ten or he would beat him within an inch of his life.

She was almost done applying her makeup when there was a knock on the door. Her date was here. Taking a deep breath, she got to her feet, slipping her feet into her heels before finally joining Happy in the other room. Happy opened the door to the penthouse, revealing her date Maximilian Montgomery III.

The man was much taller than Pepper thought he would be. He towered over her even in her killer heels. He had to be 6'4" at least. He was lean but well muscled. His tuxedo was pressed without a single wrinkle. His eye color was an emerald green that she had never seen on a person before. They almost looked like they belonged on a predator. His hair was dark, almost black and curled around his ears. It actually reminded her a little of how Tony's used to be before he cut it. He was clean shaven and when he smiled, he displayed perfectly straight white teeth.

He offered her a hand, a perfectly manicured hand, which she took in hers. God, he took better care of his hands than she did. They may have been softer than her own hands were. He obviously didn't work with his hands like Tony did. Tony's hands were scared and calloused from spending most of his time in his workshop building and creating. She couldn't count the number of times she had to remind him to clean under his nails because of grease residue. This man probably never got dirty a day in his life. At least not in the traditional sense. His eyes said something else entirely. There was something dark reflected in them that made her a little wary.

"You must be Virginia Potts. I am so delighted to make your acquaintance."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Montgomery."

"Please, Virginia. Call me Max."

Pepper heard Happy make a disgruntled noise behind her and had to hold in a laugh. Yep. Happy Hogan was in dad mode. Then to her horror she realized she was still holding onto Max's hand. A blush had crept into her cheeks as she quickly withdrew it, quietly apologizing under her breath. What the hell was wrong with her. The way he was currently staring at her like he wanted to chase her down made a shiver of fear run down her spine.

"Are you ready to go?"

Pepper could only nod in response. It was the only thing she was sure she could do without making herself seem like a complete idiot. Stop it, Virginia. You are a CEO of a Fortune 500 Company, Virginia. Act like it! Max swept his arm in front of him, directing her to take the lead and she immediately did so.

"I will be right behind you," Happy said from behind her, almost making her jump because she had forgotten he was even there. The elevator ride down was completely silent and awkward with Happy standing far too close to her. If he kept hovering this closely to her all night, she didn't know how she wasn't going to lose it. Pepper wrung her hands, trying to hold herself together every once in awhile stopping to adjust her purse. She took out her phone and glanced at the screen. Still no calls from Tony. Was he home yet? Was he okay? Of course he was okay. He would be fine.

When the elevator reached the bottom floor, Max strode out ahead of her. It didn't take but a few steps for him to pass her because of his longer than normal strides. He stopped at the front door, holding it for her, all the while giving her a smile full of white teeth and deep dimples. Okay, Pepper will admit that she was blatantly staring at him. He was an extremely attractive man even if he did make her feel uneasy. And that was how one of her heels got caught in a large crack in the sidewalk causing her to stumble. Her phone slipped out of her hand and disappeared into the sewer grate below. Now, Pepper wasn't normally one to curse but this justified it in her mind. "Shit!"

Max dark eyebrows pulled together. "What is it?"

"I just dropped my phone." She dropped her freakin' phone and Tony was probably going to get home from his mission soon and try to call her and she wouldn't be able to answer him. Dammit! She wanted to make sure that he got the message she left behind for him but this mess was nobody's fault but her own.

Happy had seen the whole thing happen and told her to just go. That he would retrieve the phone and then be right behind her. He couldn't guarantee the phone wouldn't be a complete loss but he needed to get it because of the information that could possibly be extracted from it. Even though it was locked, he still didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands.

Max helped her into his vehicle, closing the door for her before circling around the back of the car and getting in the other side. When he slid over a little too close for her liking, Pepper only barely resisted the urge to press herself into the door to get away. He did smell incredibly good but the energy he radiated made her want to bolt from the vehicle. She didn't know how she knew it, but he was dangerous.

"So, Virginia," his voice was a low purr, "how is it that a desirable woman like yourself still single?"

Pepper gripped her purse a little tighter, wishing that Happy had come with her. "Max, please. I'm here to strictly conduct business. Can we not talk about my relationship status?"

Max let out a throaty chuckle, sliding the aviators he didn't even need onto his perfect nose as he leaned back in his seat. "I would love to get down to business with you, Ms. Potts."

Pepper swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the hidden implications of Max's words. This was a bad idea. Such a bad idea. She shouldn't be here. Not with this strange man. If the SI board wanted to get in good with Hammer Industries, they could go on a date with the guy. Maybe if she took charge of the conversation, she could steer it toward something more appropriate. So she launched into her spiel about the new direction Stark Industries had taken since they stopped manufacturing weapons and to give him some credit, he actually seemed to be listening to her. She kept talking, steering the conversation until the car stopped. When she reached for the door handle, Max put up a hand to stop her, exiting his door and coming around to open hers. She took the hand he offered her even though touching him made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. As she made her way toward the front of the building, arm looped in his, trying to smile for the cameras, she realized that this was going to be an extremely long night.

xxx

Vodka martini with extra olives in her hand, she sat down next to Max at their table. She was going to need a couple of these to make it through this night. And then Christine Everhart was striding over her way and she downed it in one drink. Okay, maybe more than a couple if she had to deal with this woman all night. The reporter seated herself in the open seat next to Max, scooting over intimately close. Good. Maybe Max would focus his efforts on her instead.

"Ms. Potts, it's always good to see you." Christine was smiling at her.

And Pepper saw right through her act. Ugh. Even though it hurt her to do so, she forced herself to reciprocate some semblance of a smile because the other occupants of the table were all focused in on their conversation and she didn't want to come off as a bitch. "Hello, Ms. Everhart."

Max noticed her empty glass, not seeming to notice the tension building between the two women. "Need another drink, Virginia?"

Pepper almost told him to bring her back an entire bottle instead. Hell, an entire case of liquor would be great right about now. "Yes, please. Two would be great. Thank you."

Christine watched as Max swaggered over to the bar, her eyes were likely on his ass. "You sure Tony would like you drinking so much when you are out with a strange man?"

Pepper clenched her jaw so tightly she felt it crack. "I don't know what you think is going on between Mr. Stark and I but I would appreciate it if you kept it to yourself. Now is not the time or place to discuss gossip. I thought you wanted a real interview."

Christine was unfazed by her attitude. The reporter's eyes were still on Max who was now leaning over the bar, flirting with the female bartender. "Oh, so he's Mr. Stark to you? I would think after all of these years, you would be on a first name basis with him." It was then Christine finally took her eyes off Max and turned to face Pepper. "So completely off the record, what were you two doing in your office when I came by?"

Pepper leaned over in her direction, keeping her voice low, knowing that everyone at the table was listening in. That was the only thing that kept her from snapping. "What Mr. Stark and I do or don't do together is none of your business."

Christine must have been expecting an answer like that because she merely shrugged. "I'm just curious as to how you are spending your time as the new CEO of Stark Industries, is all. No need to get your panties in a twist." And then, before she could fire back a nasty response, Max was back with her drinks and Christine immediately switched back over into nice girl mode, clearly trying to impress him. "You took a bad spill the other day, Ms. Potts. How is your head?"

"Perfect. Thanks." When she noticed Max questioning her with his eyes, she added, "I slipped and hit my head but I'm fine." She could tell he wanted to know more about what had happened but then Christine was shooting off a list of questions at him, drawing his attention. Sipping from her glass, Pepper watched as Christine and Max chatted. It was obvious from where she was sitting that Max was merely pretending to be interested and Christine was just eating it up. After watching the blond shamelessly flirt with him for about twenty minutes, it was finally time for the meal to begin.

The food was delicious but even with the three vodka martinis in her stomach, she found she really wasn't hungry. She thought the drinks would help ease the tension she was feeling but it only made her feel more uneasy. She forced down her soup, knowing that if she didn't the drinks would catch up with her, and then when the caviar appetizer came after a few bites, she knew she wasn't going to be able to eat anything else. By the time the main course came, Christine was eyeing her with unspoken joy. She was clearly enjoying how uncomfortable she was about the entire situation. Dessert couldn't come fast enough and when the meal was finally over, Pepper was half tempted to run out of the building, hunt down Happy and tell him to take her back to the penthouse because she was done. But that didn't happen, what did happen was the orchestra began to play and Max pulled her from her chair to lead her out onto the dance floor.

"You seem a little tense, Virginia. Is something bothering you?" Max asked, his eyes boring into hers.

Yes! she thought but she wasn't about to tell him that. There were lots of things currently bothering her. His eyes. His intentions. Christine Everhart and her intentions. The fact she dropped her phone down the freakin' sewer, and now she didn't know what was going on with Tony. The fact that she was still keeping her relationship with Tony a secret and that's what landed her in this position in the first place. All of those things were bothering her. From the way he was looking at her, he wasn't about to drop it so easily so she decided for a partial truth. "Christine and I don't really get along."

Her admission made Max chuckle. He leaned down and Pepper almost leapt back when his warm lips brushed by her ear. "I could tell. When I came back to the table, I was sure you were seconds away from inserting your fingers into her eye sockets and I thought I would be dateless the rest of the night. I'm glad that isn't the case because I would really hate to have to bail you out of jail." His hands moved lower on her back and she inhaled sharply at the contact. "But I would. I would bail you out in a heartbeat. You are far too pretty to leave behind bars."

Pepper felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest. Normally, she was more outspoken than this but something was keeping her from telling him how she was really feeling. In her mind, she knew if she ran away that he would chase her down like she was prey. Just as she was about to excuse herself to the bathroom in order to put some much needed space between them, there was a buzz at the other side of the room. A large group of people began to gather around the ballroom doors but Max swept her away from the commotion before she could figure out what was going on. It must have really been something interesting because even Christine Everhart was scurrying over in that direction. Pepper narrowed her eyes, trying to get a glimpse of what the crowd was hiding in their mist but then Max's hand was on her face, drawing her full attention.

"Tell me, Virginia, what would it take for me to make you mine?"

Pepper was shocked at the intimacy of his question and pulled back from him, still feeling his gaze burning into her like fire. God was this man intense and not in a good way. It took her several seconds to regain her composer. "Look Mr. Montgomery, this is highly inappropriate. I came here to represent Stark Industries and make business connections. That is all."

He pulled her to him again continuing their dance as if nothing uncomfortable had happened between them. "Max. Please, call me Max. You don't belong here, you know."

His words made Pepper's hackles go up, and she immediately went on the defense. Here it was. Another man telling her she wasn't qualified to be CEO. That she was a woman and had no business running a company, that she belonged barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. It didn't matter how many times she heard those words. They still pissed her off. "What do you mean? I am completely capable of running a company."

The smile Max gave her was full of warmth. "That I am well aware of, Virginia. I know you are an extremely capable woman. I can tell that just by looking at you. I'm talking about the fact that almost every single person here is a war profiteer. Everyone here is responsible for causing thousands upon thousands of deaths by the manufacturing and distribution of weapons, that is all except for you. You are innocent."

Pepper's brows drew together in confusion. The sudden shift in the mood made her uncomfortable. This was all coming out of seemingly nowhere. "We spoke of this back in the car. I know that you are well aware of the fact that Stark Industries does not make weapons anymore."

"That I am aware of, Ms. Potts, but that doesn't change the fact that Tony Stark is a mass murderer."

Pepper couldn't contain the gasp of shock that came out of her mouth at the forwardness of his words. The uneasiness she was feeling in his presence was quickly evolving into anger. If this man honestly believed she was going to stand there and let him talk about Tony like that, he had another thing coming. She didn't care who the hell he was. Nobody talked about Tony like that. Not to her. Not to anybody. "Excuse me, Mr. Montgomery, but I will not allow you to speak about Mr. Stark in that manner."

Max only shrugged, not at all put off by her outburst. "Why not? It is the truth. His weapons are responsible for the deaths of thousands, hell, possibly hundreds of thousands."

Red seeped into Pepper's vision. And she had thought Christine Everhart knew how to piss her off. How dare this man stand here and judge Tony as if he was any better of a man. "Mr. Montgomery, you are aware of the fact that the company you are currently running is still in the business of manufacturing weapons? Doesn't that make you just as responsible as Mr. Stark?"

And as a response, he simply smiled at her. Smiled. And it was a smile that chilled her to her very core. It wasn't friendly but full of malice and other dark things she couldn't even describe that made her stomach drop out...or maybe her stomach was acting up because of the liquor. She didn't really know. Then his eyes moved away from hers and the smile faded into a grimace. "Speaking of the devil..."

"Can I cut in?"

Pepper's heart leapt at the sound of the voice she loved most in the world. She spun around to come face to face with Tony. Well, actually at the moment she had an inch or two on him thanks to her heels but that really didn't matter. Tony was there, standing in front of her looking absolutely dashing in his tux. So that's what the uproar had been about. Tony Stark had shown up. Seeing him standing before her in one piece after being away on a mission for so long made her heart flutter. "Ton-I mean, Mr. Stark."

He gave her a lopsided grin. The one he knew made her weak in the knees as he kept his eyes on her. "Is that a yes?"

Pepper turned to Max. "I'm sure my date won't mind. Would you Max?"

It was obvious Max did in fact mind that Tony Stark "mass murderer" was taking his date away but he didn't say a word. He simply stepped back and let Tony take his place as Pepper's dance partner, all the while keeping his focus purely on Pepper. As Tony wrapped his arms around her, she saw the viciousness reflected deep in Max's eyes, and it frightened her. Under his cool calm exterior lurked a monster. In her fear, she must have gripped Tony a little too hard because he whimpered.

"I missed you too, Pep, but are you trying to add to my extensive list of injuries? I promise there are more than you can currently see."

It was then Pepper finally turned her gaze away from Max and noticed she was indeed digging her nails into Tony's flesh to the point of almost drawing blood. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. She felt terrible. "Sorry! I'm so sorry, Tony! Are you okay? Really okay?" Pepper examined the claw marks she had created before reaching out to touch under his injured eye and he winced. "How bad was it really?"

"I took a couple of big hits but I'm fine. I mean I'm a little banged up under the dress shirt but overall, it could have been so much worse." Tony must have seen it coming because before Pepper could press him on how bad it really was, he spun her out and away from him, making her yelp in surprise before pulling her back. "I'm glad I read your story before I decided to pass out in bed for the next day or so. Tell me, is Miss Victoria enjoying her blind date?"

Pepper frowned. "You know she's not." While she was ecstatic that he had read her story and decided to surprise her by showing up, she knew from his tone that something was bothering him and he was trying to hide it.

"It sure looked like you were having a good time to me. The way you two were dancing together. He had his hands all over you. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't shown up..."

Once again, Pepper was shocked. Was he really going there? Did he really think she would have let anything happen between her and Max? Pepper felt her temper rising again. How did this man have the ability to make her go from wanting to kiss him to wanting to pummel him in under two minutes flat? She huffed loudly, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes, barely suppressing the growl that threatened to burst out of her. She loved this man more than life itself but did he ever know how to infuriate her to no end. She had just been in the process of defending his ass and here he was accusing her of God knows what. "I do not like him like that. I don't really like him at all. You are just being irrational right now." Part of her wanted to pull away from him but most of her wanted to press herself tightly against him and feel his body against hers because she had missed him so much.

Tony's eyebrows climbed skyward as he continued to glide with her across the dance floor."I'm the one being irrational? Come on, Potts. I just read an entire article listing off all the reasons that Maximilian Montgomery the THIRD is better than Tony Stark, and I can't say I didn't agree with almost all of them. I'm half expecting you to dump me."

Pepper was so dismayed, her mouth dropped open and she almost stepped on his foot. That was clearly not what she had been expecting to hear. Her anger disappeared as she thought about Tony believing she wanted to leave him for Max. "You honestly think I would leave you for Max?"

"Oh so it's just 'Max' now, huh?" Tony mumbled, still refusing to meet her eyes. Pepper noticed he wasn't as graceful as he usually was. At the moment it seemed every muscle in his body was tense.

Pepper could tell he was worried. And jealous. Not just jealous. Insanely jealous. Not that Tony being jealous shocked her at all. They were both guilty of letting the green-eyed monster get the best of them at times. Pepper still got jealous when she thought about the fact that Natasha knew that Tony was dying and she didn't but that was another story.

With care, she moved her hands up to wrap them around the back of his neck and began to play with his hair. The song changed to something slower and she allowed him to pull her closer. They were now intimately close but Pepper found she didn't care. If people wanted to talk, let them. "Tony, you are such an idiot. I wouldn't leave you for Max," she whispered, her voice soft.

"You wouldn't?" Some of the tension left Tony's shoulders as she moved her fingers through his thick silky hair. "But he's better than me in every way. He doesn't have incriminating videos of himself all over youTube. He doesn't have an arrest record. He doesn't have chest full of shrapnel. He's not damaged goods like I am, Pepper. You deserve so much better than me."

His words broke her heart. Did he honestly think so little of himself? Didn't he know how much she loved him? She let one of her hands move to grip his chin, forcing eye contact. The sadness she saw in his big brown eyes made her chest tighten drastically. "Tony, stop talking about yourself like that. You are ten thousand times the man Maximilian is. Did he travel half away around the world to destroy his own weapons when they fell into the wrong hands? I wouldn't leave you for anyone. Not now. Not ever. You are what I want, Mr. Stark. What I need." And she was going to prove it to him. Right now. Pepper took his hand and lead him off the dance floor, her heart beating faster by the second as she thought about what she was about to do.

"Where are we going? Potts?"

He sounded so genuinely confused. It was absolutely adorable. When she gave him a flirty glance back over her shoulder, he seemed so lost, his dark eyes were huge, his mouth was set in a straight line. She wanted to kiss the insecurity right off his handsome face. When she pulled him into the large coat closet that was furthest away from the ballroom, he still had no idea what was going on. The innocent expression on his face almost made her laugh. It was amazing how utterly clueless he could be at times.

"Are you cold, Pep? Do you want your jacket? I would have just given you mine, you know."

Keeping her eyes locked with his, she slid her arms around the muscular shoulders she loved so very much, pressing in closer to him, allowing his scent envelop her every cell. She shuddered in delight as his strong arms encircled her. He smelled so damn good. She knew from experience that he tasted damn good too and right now she was itching to overload all of her five senses with that of Tony Stark. She noticed his breathing had picked up as he studied her face, finally realizing why she had brought him back here. And then one of her hands was cupping him through his dress pants and he let out a soft groan. He dropped his head to her bare shoulder as she pressed her lips against his ear, tracing the shell of it with her tongue, feeling his hot breath on her neck. "No, Mr. Stark. I want you."


	12. Chapter 12

And then one of Pepper's hands was slipping under the waistband of his pants and his eyes were close to rolling back in his skull. Holy hell. This really was happening. It shouldn't have been that much of a shock to him. It's not like he had never had sex in a coat closet before. He had many times before, but the fact it was Pepper initiating the entire thing made this better than anything he had ever experienced in his life. He honestly could not believe she was doing this. Pepper was not an exhibitionist. Not by a long shot.

Head still resting on her shoulder, he shuddered, words spilling out of his mouth before he even really knew what he was saying. "Did I tell you, you look gorgeous tonight, Pep? That dress on you. Hell, anything on you looks amazing but that dress. Drop dead gorgeous."

Pepper chuckled lightly next to his ear, giving it a quick playful nip that sent electricity zinging through his body. "You're not so bad yourself, Mr. Stark." When her hand traveled lower, moving down over his dick down to fondle his balls, his knees almost buckled. "No underwear? Really, Tony."

"Well, you know I was kind of in a hurry to get here. I just skipped a step or two getting ready."

Pepper hummed in his ear, her fingers playfully running up and down his quickly hardening length. Her grip was loose. Too loose. He needed some friction and she wasn't giving it to him. She was going to make him lose his mind. He was sure she could sense his frustration because she tightened her grip as she continued to stroke him. "Well, Mr. Stark, I kind of had an inkling you would show up to help me decide how to finish my story. You know, I'm not wearing any underwear either." Without any hesitation, she grabbed his hand, guiding it up the slit in her dress and in between her thighs.

Tony's eyes went wide, breath hitching in his throat as his fingers slipped directly into her. Nope. No underwear. She was hot and already slick with desire. He swallowed thickly, heart hammering in his chest. "Holy fu-" Pepper's tongue being thrust into his mouth, cut off his words. She tasted like vodka. Ah. So she had been drinking. He kissed her back enthusiastically for several seconds, enjoying the seductive play of her tongue with his. It was hard to do but he forced himself to push her away. After all, he wouldn't be able to talk with her tongue down his throat. "Pep?" She obviously didn't take his actions as rejection because she immediately reattached her lips to his neck, drawing a moan out of him as she sucked hard at the junction of his neck and shoulder. It was hard to form words with her talented fingers working his cock and her luscious lips on his throat. At this point, he could barely remember his own name. "Pepper, are you drunk? Because if you are, I-I don't want to take advantage of you." He started to withdraw his hand but Pepper clamped her legs together. Holy crap did that woman have strong thighs.

"Not drunk. Just buzzed. Barely. Keep touching me, Mr. Stark."

He wasn't about to argue with her. Not when she was so responsive. So warm. So wet. "Can do." He thrust his fingers deeper and was rewarded with a sexy moan that made him even harder if that was even possible. He matched his thrusts with her strokes. "You are so sexy, Miss Potts. I wanted to jump you the second I saw you out on the dance floor. You have no idea how hard it was to control myself." That was true. When he first arrived, he was feeling almost primal. He saw that jerk-off dancing with his girl and had wanted to stake his claim by tearing that man to shreds and then fucking Pepper into the ground. He had a raging hard-on since Malibu. That was a long way to go without release.

"Mmmmm, yeah. Right there. Just like that," Pepper groaned, spurring him on to go faster and deeper with his fingers. "God, Tony. Your hands are amazing. You are amazing." Her lips found his once again and they were kissing each other like they didn't need oxygen to survive. Maybe he didn't. Maybe the only thing he needed was Pepper. He could eat, breathe and touch her until the end of time.

From the intensity of her kisses, his lips might be bruised. Hell, the way he was scraping his facial hair across her porcelain skin was going to leave marks behind but that was okay. He needed to mark her. She was his and he wanted the world to know that. He couldn't wait to make her come. He was going to make her come so hard. Knuckle deep inside of Pepper, Tony froze when he heard voices growing closer. Someone was coming. Shit! "Pep, someone's coming!"

"It would have been me if you wouldn't have stopped."

Tony held back the moan he wanted to release at her words. Jesus. This woman. She must get off on torturing him. He swallowed his desire back down, forcing himself to be serious. "No, Pepper! Someone is coming right now. We need to hide! Come on!" He didn't wait for Pepper's response. He was already parting a rack of jackets and pulling her in after him. He pressed her back against the wall, slamming shut the opening he had made, hiding them from view just as the footsteps stopped directly in front of them.

"Do you really want to go now?" A man asked. He sounded frustrated.

"Yes, Charles. I am tired. I just want to sleep," came a woman's reply.

Something gave Tony's ass a hard squeeze making him give a small yelp. Eyes wide with panic, he spun around to face the culprit...Pepper who was biting her bottom lip. What was she doing? Did she want them to get caught? Before he could give her a stern look, she pressed her face into his chest, wrapping her arms around him.

"Did you hear something?" The woman asked her companion.

Oh shit. Tony's hold on Pepper tightened drastically as he held his breath. Oh shit. Oh shit. What if their relationship came into the public eye because they were caught feeling each other up in a coat check closet during a charity ball where she was another man's date? Oh God. That would definitely not be good for Pepper's career. If something like this became front page news, her reputation may never recover and if that happened, there would be no way she would stay working for Stark Industries. If her image was tarnished, she would surely dump him and get the hell out of dodge. If that happened, he was sure he would never see her again. Tony bit down hard on his bottom lip, drawing blood. He couldn't lose Pepper. He just couldn't. If Pepper left, he once again became the man who had everything and nothing. That's when Pepper buried her head further into Tony's shoulder, her body shaking with silent laughter. He blinked rapidly, staring at the side of her face. What the? Was she seriously laughing right now? How could she possibly laugh at a time like this?

The woman's male companion sighed heavily. "You are hearing things, darling. We have our coats. Let's go."

When the footsteps disappeared and Tony was sure they were alone once again, he sagged against Pepper, finally able to breath again. "That was close," he mumbled into her hair. "Way too close." Thinking the moment had passed between them, he began to part the coats on the rack in order for them to slip through but Pepper pulled him back and pressed him firmly into the wall.

"Where do you think you are going, Mr. Stark? I'm not done with you yet..."

"But Pep, I..." And whatever he was going to say was lost completely because Pepper had dropped to her knees and was currently sucking his cock like it was her job. One of her arms was wrapped tightly around his hips, her nails digging into his ass, likely leaving marks. Her other hand was jerking him off as she licked and sucked at him. Closing his eyes, he leaned back into the wall, letting everything around him fade away as he focused on feeling every single little thing Pepper was doing to him. His girlfriend, the CEO of his company was currently on her knees in ball gown that costs thousands of dollars giving him head with a room full of people not far away. He was the luckiest man alive. It didn't take long before his legs were quivering. "I'm gonna cum." Pepper didn't acknowledge his words so he decided to try again. He wasn't the asshole who didn't give someone warning. "Pep, I'm gonna cum."

When Pepper pulled away from him, he almost whimpered from the lack of contact. "I heard you the first time. I wouldn't want to leave a mess now, would I?" As soon as she finished speaking, her mouth was back on him, resuming her previous ministrations.

Holy fuck. The meaning of her words pushed him over the edge. It didn't more than another second and he was coming and coming hard. He tried his hardest not to make too much noise but that was next to impossible with way Pepper was twisting her tongue impossibly on the underside of his dick and the way her hand was stroking him just the right way. His climax slammed into him all at once. It was almost too much for him to bare. He was glad there was a wall behind him to lean on because he wasn't stable on his feet. Not at all. He squeezed his eyes shut, letting the peak of his orgasm sweep him away. "Oh my God. Pepper!"

Pepper slowly stood up, running her hands slowly up his legs, past his chest and wrapping them around the back of his neck. She pressed her lips against his in a gentle kiss. "Was that to your satisfaction, Mr. Stark?"

Tony was grinning like an idiot as he put his arms around her, nuzzling her cheek. "Call me Mr. Stark again."

Pepper giggled. "You know, I lied. I may be a little drunk. But just a little bit."

Tony was about to reply when his knees threatened to give out and he almost over in the process. Holy shit. That orgasm was making it impossible for him to stand. That was a first. Noticing his unsteadiness, Pepper tried to stabilize him. He gladly accepted her help, leaning into her slender form for support. His vision went a little blurry around the edges, quickly fading into tunnel. Nope. His light-headedness was not just an aftershock from the orgasm. He really should have eaten whatever Pepper had left for him in the fridge or at least gotten a quick bite before he met up with her because he hadn't had actual food in days. If he had, he was pretty sure what came next wouldn't have happened. He was going down, and he was going down hard. That was his last thought before his knees buckled underneath him and everything faded into black.

"Tony?!" Pepper's voice was the first thing to filter back into his awareness. He could hear the terror in her rising voice, feel her hands gripping onto the lapels of his tux as she shook him almost violently, trying to rouse him. "Tony, what's wrong? Are you okay? Tony, please God be okay." He could feel her tears on his cheek as she rubbed her face against his. "Oh God. I-I'm going to get help. I'll be right back."

He really did not want her running out into the ballroom and dragging someone back here, especially not Mr. Maximilian Montgomery the THIRD. He knew he only had seconds to prove to her he was okay or she would come back dragging the cavalry behind her. His hand shot out to grab her wrist as she began to rise to her feet. "Pepper?" He forced his heavy eye lids open. It took more effort that he wanted to admit. Pepper had dropped to her knees next to him, her gown spilling around her like a puddle on the floor. Her hands were trembling as she touched his face, searching his eyes to make sure he was going to be okay. "I'm fine, Pepper." He felt guilty as shit when he noticed her eyes were as red as they were when he came back from Afghanistan. The pure terror that was plastered across her beautiful face made his empty stomach twist.

"I'm sorry, Tony. I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry for what? Giving me an orgasm so intense I passed out?" Trying to lighten the mood, he grinned as he pushed himself into a sitting position, but when he saw her lip quiver, signaling she may start crying again, he reached out to stroke her cheek with an index finger. "It's not your fault, Pep. It's mine. I just pushed myself too hard. I haven't eaten for a couple days and it just must have finally caught up with me."

Pepper jerked back from him as if his finger had been a flame. The expression on her face quickly evolved from concern to anger. She was on her feet in a beat, staring him down, making him feel about two inches tall. "What?" Yep. There was the reaction he expected. He almost made a comment about the redhead in her coming out but then thought better of it. He was in enough trouble as it was already. "I thought you said you read my note! I told you to eat something!"

"I did but..." Tony's voice trailed off as he watched Pepper cross her arms snugly over her chest, only accenting her cleavage. He had to focus on not openly gaping at her breasts because that would be a surefire way to end up sleeping on the couch for the next week or two. Ogling her boobs when she was upset was definitely not the way to go.

He could see the red flush on her chest creeping up to her neck. Her jaw was clenched tightly. Oh yeah. He had really pissed her off but he also knew under her surface of her anger was worry. "But what, Stark? You couldn't stop and grab a bite to eat before you came? You couldn't take the suit through the Burger King drive-thru or something? God, Tony. You scared me. I thought...I thought..." Pepper blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to ward off the tears that continued to form but failing miserably at it. "When are you going to stop neglecting yourself?"

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, she did have a point. He did have a tendency to get completely absorbed in his work to the point where he forgot to bathe or even eat but he wasn't about to get into that now, not when he was insanely jealous about Pepper going out with new and improved Tony Stark. Hastily, he tucked himself back into his dress pants before getting to his feet and yanking up the zipper a little too hard. If he would have caught his dick in that, that would have been a fun trip to the ER. "Well, you know I was a little preoccupied with knowing you were with Mr. Perfect and you weren't picking up your phone. But hey, taking the suit through the drive-thru...that sounds like a fun idea. Maybe I'll go do that now and leave you to finish your date." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he instantly regretted them. He was accusing with his tone but he just couldn't seem to help himself.

Pepper frowned. "If you must know, I dropped my phone down a sewer grate. That's where Happy is right now, trying to retrieve it. That's why I didn't answer your call. You know I would never ignore a call from you while you are on a mission. I worry about you, Tony." Her crystal blue eyes held his gaze. He watched as she closely studied his face. She must have seen something buried in his expression that made her uneasy because she suddenly sucked in a shuddering breath. "You have to know that...right? You have to know that I love you. Don't you?" When he heard the doubt in her voice, it broke him. This wasn't about her. It was about him and his own insecurities. He knew that she loved him. He also knew she deserved so much better than him.

"Hey." Tony pulled her into his arms to press sweet kisses of apology to her neck and collarbone. He could feel the tension radiating off her in waves, and it made him feel guilty but it seemed to diminish with each kiss he gave. "I do know, and I love you too. I don't want to fight especially after the mind-blowing orgasm I just had. I was stupid not to listen to you. You always know what you are talking about." He relaxed a bit when he felt her chuckle.

"Can I quote you on that?"

"You can, but I'll just deny having said it." He gave her one of his trademark smiles. It was so easy to fall back into their familiar banter.

Pepper sighed as she reached out to straighten his bow tie and then put herself to work tidying up his hair into something presentable. "You are lucky I love you so much, Mr. Stark."

"I know." He knew she meant it merely as an off-the-cuff remark but he really did know he was lucky. He was the luckiest fucking man on the planet, and right now, more than anything else, he needed to get her back to his New York penthouse and show her just how much he loved and appreciated her. "I'm gonna hit the bathroom quick and then how about you and me get out of here?"

She smiled back at him before pressing another kiss to his lips. "Sounds perfect."


	13. Chapter 13

Pepper watched as Tony disappeared into the restroom before deciding to make a quick bathroom stop herself. The last thing she needed was to walk out into a crowd of influential people that included the nosy reporter Christine Everhart looking like she had been fooling around. If she did, it would be front page news by tomorrow morning. But other than her lipstick being a bit smudged and the unmistakable flush on her neck and face she got when she is aroused, she still seemed pretty well put together. As she was dabbing away the red smear on her bottom lip, the realization of what she had been doing with Tony moments before slammed into her. She had actually given Tony head in a public place. Not only that...they had almost been caught in the act. How could she have acted so out-of-character? It had to have been the alcohol. Well, a combination of the alcohol, the fact she had been worried out of her mind about him and had also felt a tad bit guilty about not telling him face to face about her date. Pile on top of all of those factors that he did look absolutely delicious. Tony Stark in a tuxedo was absolutely irresistible. Okay, so maybe in the back of her mind, she saw the way women around her were practically fucking him with their eyes and wanted to stake her claim on him right then and there. Yeah, she was never going to admit that one to Tony. He had a big enough head as it was. He didn't need to know how possessive she could be.

Not that she could really blame anyone for drooling over him. He was a very attractive and powerful man, and it was her fault they weren't officially together in the public eye. He was currently labeled one of the most eligible bachelors in the world. That was because of her. That was her own insecurities that didn't allow them to come out as a couple. Tony had wanted to go public the night of the expo. A smile pulled at the edge of her mouth as she recalled that night. It was all still so vivid in her mind. How upset she had been with him. How all of her anger had melted away when he kissed her for the very first time. How badly she had wanted to get him out of his armor so she could feel his body against hers. Since that day, they may have kissed hundreds of times but she still felt that first-time jolt every time his lips touched hers. She hoped it would always be like that between them.

"Hiding in the bathroom, are we?"

Pepper's eyes widened in surprise as they flicked over to find Christine Everhart standing behind her shoulder, staring at her. The grin on the reporter's beautiful face was one that put her at unease. It was clear she knew something but she wasn't going to give her the benefit of the doubt and ask her what it was. She was just going to keep her mouth shut and see what she had to say.

The blond stepped up next to her, taking a tube of lipstick from her handbag before beginning to apply it. "Maximilian has been looking for you. Have you been in here the entire time or are you just making yourself up after getting a quickie in with Tony?" Christine's smile only grew while she watched in the mirror as Pepper's mouth drop open at her forwardness. "That's what I thought. See you back out there, Pepper." And without waiting for a reply, she disappeared into a stall.

Pepper was shocked to silence. Part of her wanted to slam open the stall door and demand where she had gotten the nerve but that was the part of her she had to restrain and bury deep down. Christine obviously wanted to get a rise out of her. That had been her deal ever since their first meeting and she wasn't about to give her what she wanted.

Instead, she left the bathroom in a huff which was why it was all too easy for her to collide with a hard body and end up sprawled across the floor. One of her ankles immediately began to throb. Of course she had gone and twisted it. That was the risk a girl took when she wore killer heels. That wasn't her only problem. She had heard a very distinctive riiiiiiiiip of material as she was going down. She had ripped her ballgown. She could only hope it wasn't in an area that would show the world her goods. Just as she was contemplating how she was going to haul her injured butt up, a large male hand appeared in front of her face. Oh Tony! Thank God. She could use him as a crutch and use his jacket to cover her wardrobe malfunction. She gladly accepted the hand. But as she slowly rose to her feet, she realized it wasn't Tony who was helping her. It was Maximilian.

"Virginia, are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I? I was wondering where you went."

"I'm fine. I'm fine," Pepper insisted, lying through her teeth. She desperately tried not to but even as she fought against the urge, she flinched when she put weight on her right foot. It was really starting to smart now, throbbing in time with her racing pulse. It was going to be even more difficult to get away from Maximilian with a sprained ankle. She gave a fleeting glance over her shoulder down the hall, desperately trying to find her missing boyfriend. Where was Tony?

"Was Stark bothering you?" Maximilian was scowling now. "If he is bothering you, I can take care of it myself."

Oh boy did Pepper not want that happening. She didn't want Maximilian anywhere near Tony. Having both of those extremely dominate males in the same room posturing at each other was way too much testosterone for her to handle. Pepper shook her head. "No. No. Tony doesn't bother me. Well, not usually." Pepper realized she was still holding onto Max and pulled her hand out of his grasp. "No, Max. I'm actually going to leave."

Maximilian's eyes lit up. "What a coincidence. I was leaving as well. You want to take this back to my place for a drink?"

Pepper frowned and shook her head once again. "I'm not interested."

Maximilian quirked a brow at her as if he didn't buy it. "Are you sure because the way you were ogling me earlier said otherwise. I know you think I'm attractive and I also believe you are quite the bombshell, Virginia."

Oh God. A blush appeared on her cheeks as she averted her eyes away from his questioning gaze. He had noticed her ogling him earlier. Dammit! She was sure her face was now as red as her hair because it felt like the temperature in the room had shot up about fifteen degrees. Embarrassed and wanting to get out of the sticky situation she had found herself in as quickly as possible, the words just flew out of her mouth before she even really knew what she was saying, "I'm with Tony!"

Maximilian's face contorted as if she had physically slapped him. "You're with Stark as in you are dating him? You are actually with that self-absorbed, war profiteering, man-child? I thought you had more class than that. No, I know you have more class than that. It has to be a mistake. You don't want him, Virginia. You want me. I know you do."

The fact that this man who didn't even know her trying to tell her what she wanted gave her the newfound resolve to get past her embarrassment and stare him down. Now she was the one who was getting angry. "You don't get to tell me what I want. I know what I want, and I want Tony. Not that it is any of your business." She knew nothing she said was going to change Maximilian's perception of Tony, and in the end it didn't really matter what he thought. She knew Tony. The real Tony, and he was nothing like distorted version of a man Maximilian saw. "I think you should go."

Maximilian shocked her once more by grabbing her hand, drawing her full attention to his determined face. "Last chance, Virginia. Come with me. You don't need Stark. He doesn't deserve a woman like you. I could make you happy. Please give me a chance."

Pepper blinked up at him. This guy sure had some balls telling her to leave Tony for him. She had stood by Tony for years. She wasn't about to leave him now. She couldn't leave him. "The answer is no, Maximilian. I'm in love with Tony. I will never love anyone the way I love him." Her hand flew up to cover her mouth. Oh my God. Virginia, where is your filter tonight? She had just admitted out loud to someone other than Tony about her love for him.

Instead of the anger she was expecting from her words, the expression on Maximilian's face was that of sadness. His broad shoulders sagged in defeat as he sighed. "Very well then. I'm sorry things couldn't work out between us. Goodbye, Virginia." He leaned forward and before she could react, pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek. He then released her hand, letting it drop to her side as he brushed past her, disappearing down the hallway.

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she watched him go. What the hell had just happened? That was the most aggressive come-on she had experienced in her entire life. Why was he acting so oddly? Maybe it was just his nature. After all, Tony was definitely eccentric but eccentric in a cute way. Maximilian was down right creepy. She shivered violently as she rubbed at the goosebumps that had formed on her exposed arms. Maximilian's unwanted advances had made her temporarily forget about her newest injury but now that he was gone, the pain seemed to kick up a few notches. She had to sit down before she fell down.

"You are quite the hot-ticket tonight, aren't you, Pepper Potts? Maximilian Montgomery tries to get you to leave with him and you finally admit to being in a relationship with Tony Stark. This is definitely a front page story. Now are you finally going to admit to the world that he made you CEO because you were sleeping with him?"

Pepper rolled her eyes at the familiar nagging voice coming from behind her. Would this night ever end. It was Christine. Again. And she had heard everything she said to Maximilian. Couldn't she ever catch a break? Pepper reigned in her temper. Getting pissed off wouldn't do anything but make Christine feel like she was right about how she climbed the corporate ladder. "Look, Christine, can we not do this now?"

Christine came around to face her. "You did promise me an interview."

That's right. She had promised that. Pepper only barely held back her growl of frustration. "Fine. Can we at least sit down?"

Christine must have been expecting a fight because she seemed pleasantly surprised that she agreed to speak with her. "Absolutely. After you." She motioned for Pepper to lead the way, which she did, trying her hardest to hide her limp but failing anyway. When she collapsed into her chair back at the table, Christine raised an eyebrow at her. "Did you hurt your foot?"

"A little," Pepper admitted. "Look. Can we not do the thing where you pretend to care about my well-being and just get on with the questions?"

Christine actually laughed. "A girl after my own heart. Well, let's start at the beginning..." Her voice trailed off as suddenly the lights above them dimmed. A giant screen began to lower into the center of the room. The guests around them all stopped talking, diverting their full attention to the large projection of Maximilian Montgomery III that appeared in front of them. Pepper leaned forward in her seat.

"I am so very glad all of you could attend tonight but for a different reason than you may think. I believe in making the world a better place, a mission that each and every one of you in this room obviously do not share. You are all a disease, spewing your filth across this beautiful world, destroying everything you touch..."

Pepper shivered as the room around her filled with the nervous whispers of the other guests.

"Therefore, after tonight you will no longer be on this planet to destroy it."

Pepper's mouth went dry as the meaning of his words set in. Her stomach heaved violently. The taste of bile filled her mouth. Oh God. Oh my God. She exchanged a horrified glance with Christine who for once had absolutely nothing to say.

"I could go on and on but I'm not going to. You know what you did. Each and every one of you contributed to the destruction of this beautiful planet, the murder of your fellow man. None of you are innocent. Except you, Virginia. I am truly sorry. I really wish we could have worked things out. You really don't deserve this but you chose your path and I chose mine. I hope you all enjoyed your last meal."

It was then people finally started to panic, pushing and clawing at each other like wild animals, tramping over fallen bodies, toppling chairs, trying to be the first out the doors. Pepper turned in her chair, eyes wide as she searched desperately for Tony in the commotion but not finding him in the chaos. People were throwing themselves against the heavy wooden doors of the ballroom but they wouldn't budge. They had likely been barricaded from the other side. Of course it had been. Maximilian had lead them all up here, like animals to the slaughter. They were going to die here.

Oh God. Tony. She needed Tony. She lurched to her feet, stumbling and going down as her throbbing ankle gave out underneath her. From her place lying on the floor, her eyes fell on his unmanned Iron Man suit, wishing that she could hold him once last time. "Tony!" she screamed but her plea was lost in the explosion.


	14. Chapter 14

"Everybody get back! Get away from the doors! Move back!"

That familiar male voice that Pepper loved so very much boomed above the panicked screaming and crying, shouting orders like he owned the place. Her heart soared. She loved it when her man took charge. Tony was here now. Everything was going to be okay. Everything had to be okay. There was no other option. "Tony," she whispered as she forced open her heavy eyelids, trying in vain to blink away her disorientation and find her boyfriend in the chaos. When another explosion sounded, much closer to her this time, she cried out and desperately tried to cover her head, unable to contain the desperate sounding whimpers that burst out of her throat. But when no debris fell on her, she realized it had simply been Tony firing one of his suit's repulsors. He had blasted his way through the thick wooden doors and people were now scrambling out into the hall in a stampede. And then suddenly she felt herself being swept up into a pair of red and gold metallic arms that would seem alien to anyone else but to her, they felt like home. Even though the situation was less than desirable, some of the tension in her body began to subside. Tony made her feel safe. "Tony."

"It's okay. I got cha, Pep," Tony assured as he began to stride toward the blasted doors, Pepper held protectively in his arms against his chest. His voice may have been changed by the Iron Man helmet but it was still music to her ears.

When she was unable to find him earlier, she had been worried out of her mind about his well-being especially since he had passed out not long ago. She was going to check on him but then she ran into Maximilian and then everything had gone to hell. "Tony. Tony, it's Maximilian. He's crazy. He's trying to kill everyone."

"I know. He is trying to detonate the explosives he planted remotely, and Jarvis is blocking him. At least for the time being. Luckily for all of us, only one of them has gone off so far. We need to get out before that changes. Now." Pepper noticed Tony's full attention was focused straight ahead, making sure to keep a close eye on the party guests as they scurried toward the staircase so she was surprised when he began addressing her directly. Not that she sound have been because Tony was the ultimate multi-tasker. "What happened to you, Pep? Why were you on the floor?"

"I twisted my ankle."

"And your dress?"

And even hidden inside the helmet, she could sense his aggravation. Not that she could really blame him. Maximilian had been trying to actively seduce her. Pepper's eyes roamed slowly down her body was then she finally noticed the obvious tear in her beautiful ballgown that exposed quite a bit more of her leg than she would have liked. There was no fixing that. Just an inch or so more and she could be arrested for public indecency. Pepper sighed. "While you were in the restroom, I ran into Maximilian. Literally. I bumped into him on my way to find you, and I fell down, tearing my dress and hurting my ankle. He tried to get me to leave with him but I refused." Tony didn't say anything but he didn't have to. She knew he was silently stewing so she added, "Tony, I would never go with him."

"I know that. Doesn't make me any less angry though. That douchebag was trying his hardest to seduce you and then when he realized he couldn't have you, he tried to kill you." His grip on Pepper tightened possessively, armored fingers curling almost painfully into her sensitive skin.

When they turned the corner, several people jamming their fingers into the elevator call button came into view. "Do not use the elevator!" Tony shouted at them, startling the crap out of the poor souls as he pointed toward the stairwell. "Use the stairs. I don't want to have to rescue you twice." They didn't argue. No one in their right mind would argue with Iron Man. The stragglers hurried through the door in front of him, taking the stairs two and three at a time. "Jarvis is the floor clear?" The answer must have been yes because Tony quickly began to descend the stairs. "When I get my hands on that sleazeball, I'm going to strangle him. Trying to get you to leave with him..."

"Well, he failed and quite miserably I might add." Pepper's statement was only greeted by the slamming shut of the fire door. "Tony, you know I don't want Maximilian. Right? I don't want anybody but you. You are all I have." Pepper wished she could see his face because she needed to know that he believed her. She knew he didn't think he was worthy of her love, and it broke her heart. He didn't speak the entire way down, the only sound was that of footfalls echoing in the enclosed space. He didn't speak until they reached the ground floor, when Tony pushed open the stairwell door to come face to face with the man trying to bring down his own building. Maximilian Montgomery III.

There was fire in Maximilian's eyes and what was likely the detonator clutched firmly in his right hand. His hair that had been perfectly styled earlier was now a mess. Pepper could see the insanity reflected in his emerald eyes; the rage burning deep inside him.

"Stark."

Tony's mask flipped up revealing his face and Pepper could see his anger matched Maximilian's. "Montgomery."

Maximilian narrowed his eyes. "I knew it had to be you blocking the detonation sequence but I'm here now and nothing is going to stop me from bringing this building down on top of you. You are a dead man, Stark, and if that means I have to die with you to rid the world of your disgusting legacy then so be it. You may saved the rest of your murdering friends but you, you are mine. This ends now."

As his finger started to slowly release from the trigger, Pepper kept her eyes locked on Tony's face. If they were going to die, she wanted him to be the last thing she saw.

"Wait!" Tony pleaded and to Pepper's astonishment, he did what was asked of him. "Let Pepper go. She doesn't need to be a part of this. She's innocent."

Maximilian lowered the arm holding the detonator. "I gave her a choice. She chose you and that makes her guilty by association." He sneered. "I honestly can't believe a woman like her could ever love an evil man like you, a man who idly stood by for years and let his weapons kill innocent people, a man who fucked his way through half of the west coast. No matter how much you claim to have changed, you haven't. You are still that same bastard of a man. You don't deserve her."

During Maximilian's rant, Pepper carefully watched Tony's face, her heart twisting painfully in her chest when she recognized the look in his eyes. She bit her bottom lip until it hurt. Tony agreed with Maximilian. No. No, he honestly couldn't believe the horrible things he was saying, could he? Tony was a good man. He deserved the world. He wasn't evil. He had never been evil.

Tony nodded. "You're right. I don't deserve her, and she doesn't deserve this. I'll stay. I deserve this. Just please, let her go."

Pepper's eyes went wide. "Tony, no! You don't deserve this! There is no way I'm leaving you."

"Yes, you are."

Pepper was sure she had never heard that tone of voice from Tony before. The harshness of it startled her into silence. His eyes weren't even focused on her. Why they hell wasn't he looking at her? She followed his stern gaze to the front doors. The building was now clear except for the three of them and the man she watched rush up the front stairs through the retreating ball attendees, pushing his way through them like a bull. Happy Hogan. When he barreled through the front doors, he immediately stopped when he noticed the stand off between Tony and Maximilian.

"Montgomery, let Pepper go. It's me you want. I'm right here. I promise to stay if you let her go."

Maximilian gave Pepper a quick once over before letting out a short growl. "Fine. She can go but you stay, Stark."

It was then Tony finally met her gaze. The overabundance of love she saw in those big brown eyes made her breath catch in her throat but there was something else reflected in them too, something that made her heart stutter and almost stop. Goodbye. He was saying goodbye. No!

"Happy, get Pepper out of here."

And before Pepper could try and state her case for staying, Happy was taking her out of Tony's arms, easily throwing her over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing and carried her out of the building. Pepper flailed and twisted in his grasp but it was useless. Happy was a strong man. She wasn't going to be able to get out of this especially not in a tightly fitting party dress and not with an injured ankle. That didn't stop her from yelling and pounding on his back. She wasn't about to make this easy on him.

As Happy carried her away from Tony, Pepper noticed the police had set up a barricade in the parking lot and were pushing people back further, not knowing if the explosives would detonate. All around there were firetrucks and ambulances and police cars. Pepper couldn't remember ever seeing so many flashing lights in one place. Giant spot lights had been set up to illuminate the building making it seem like it was daytime.

As they passed the bomb squad vehicle, Pepper began to shout. "This is ridiculous! Put me down! Put me down, now!" Happy must have been satisfied by how much distance there was between them and the building because he finally listened to her pleas and set her on her own two feet. Her ankle throbbed a bit but the adrenaline rush was making it less of an issue at the moment. "Happy, we can't just leave him in there!" Sprained ankle be damned, there was no way in hell she was leaving Tony with Maximilian. She would drag his ass out of there kicking and screaming if she had to. Pepper was striding forward past the large man, ready to shove her way through the crowd when a hand clamped around her wrist, pulling her back. Pepper's eyes went first to the giant hand on her wrist and then up to lock with the burning stare of her security guard. "Happy, let go of me. Now. I am your boss and I demand that you release me. I'm going after Tony."

Happy grabbed her by both of her shoulders and gave her a firm shake. "No. You aren't. It's not safe. There is absolutely no way I'm letting you go back in there. Fire me if you want, but you are not going anywhere near that building."

It was a staring contest of epic proportions and neither of them was backing down. In fact, they were both radiating so much animosity that people were trying their hardest to avoid going near them, staying at a distance as if the two of them would explode at any moment, taking anyone within a ten feet radius with them. Pepper knew Happy was only trying to do his job and that job was protecting her but when it came to Tony, she lost her mind. Tony was always trying to protect her so it was her job to try and protect him. Just as she was contemplating a plan to get around the roadblock that was Happy Hogan, a series of ear ringing blasts filled the air, drawing everyone's full attention to the building. That was when all fifty stories of the concrete and steel came crashing down on top of the man she loved.


	15. Chapter 15

"Tony!" The scream that left Pepper's lips pierced the chilly night air. She watched in horror as what used to be a beautiful piece of architecture seconds earlier collapsed into nothing more than an enormous pile of rubble, throwing a giant cloud of thick dust into the air as it collapsed on top of Tony. Oh, God no. Please, no. This couldn't be happening. This could not be happening. He had to be okay. He just had to be. Suddenly, it felt like the building had fallen onto her chest. It was growing harder to breathe by the second, and it wasn't because of the air quality. I can't breathe. Why can't I breathe? When a pair of arms wrapped around her, pulling her backward, she found she didn't have the strength to put up a struggle. Every once of energy seemed to be zapped from her body.

"Pepper, we need to get back."

She knew Happy had said something to her but her brain didn't process the meaning of his words. Even so, she allowed him to steer her away from the billowing cloud of fumes encroaching on them and back toward the emergency vehicles. Each step she took in the opposite direction was harder and harder to make. If only she had a way to communicate with him to make sure he was okay.

Pepper froze, eyes going wide as she realized she did in fact have a way to do that. She tapped Happy on his arm. "Happy, give me your phone." The man gave her a funny look but dug in his pocket and handed her his cell anyway. Pepper dialed the number she knew by heart and when it connected, her heart sped up. It was going to be okay. Everything was fine. "Hello?"

"Hello, Miss Potts." She wasn't greeted by Tony's voice but that of his AI Jarvis. "You're call was automatically forwarded to me because Mr. Stark is unable to take it. Can I be of service?"

Pepper frowned. That was not what she expected to hear. "Is he okay? What are his vitals?"

"I cannot say. Unfortunately, I have lost contact with my uploaded version in his suit. I am sorry."

"Pepper?" Happy was clearly concerned as he watched the phone slip from her grasp and clatter to the ground. He reached out to touch her shoulder. "Pepper, what is it?"

It was getting hard to swallow around the growing lump in her throat. She spoke at a rapid rate of speed, trying to get all of the words out before her throat closed up completely. "I tried to call Tony. I couldn't get through. Jarvis lost contact with him. I don't know what to do." She sank her shaking fingers deep into her hair, pulling hard at the roots until it should have hurt. She should have felt something. But she didn't. She felt nothing at all. If she lost Tony, if she lost Tony she didn't know what she would do. "What am I going to do? I can't lose him, Happy. I can't."

"Come on, Pepper." Happy slid an arm around her, helping to take some of the weight off of her ankle. Not that she could feel it at the moment anyway. Every part of her was numb. If she lost Tony, she would never feel anything ever again.

Somehow she ended up in the back of an ambulance. She knew the paramedics were asking her questions as they examined her but she didn't respond. She couldn't respond because if she opened her mouth, she knew she would start sobbing and if that happened, she didn't think she would be able to stop. Luckily, Happy was there next to her for support. He didn't say much of anything, answering the paramedics questions every so often. His hand rubbing comforting circles on her back helped ground her, kept her in reality. Her eyes were locked on the giant pile of rubble a few hundred yards away as a search and rescue team that included several dogs began to dig through the debris. It would take hours if not days to go through that much scrap metal and concrete and Tony, Tony was buried underneath all of it. Tony could be suffering and in pain, lying there bleeding or he could be-he may already be gone.

"...hospital? Pepper?"

Happy's voice finally broke through her daze, and she forced herself to turn her eyes toward him. "Hmmm?"

"I think you should go to the hospital, Pepper. They said this may be more than just a sprained ankle. They want to take x-rays."

Pepper narrowed her eyes in defiance, meeting Happy's stern expression with one of her own. "No."

"Pepper..."

Was he honestly about to argue with her about this? Nothing short of death itself would be able to get her to leave. She wasn't moving from this spot until Tony was found and back in her arms. "I said no, Happy. I'm not leaving until they find Tony. I need to make sure he is okay. I-I should be out there looking for him. I shouldn't just be sitting here doing nothing."

"Pepper," Happy was directly in front of her now, holding onto both of her shoulders as he forced eye contact. "You know there is nothing you can do. Nobody is allowed in there except the search and rescue crew. The police have set up a barricade. If you tried to go around, you would be stopped immediately."

Knowing he was right, Pepper sagged in defeat. "If it were me in there, Tony wouldn't let anything stop him from getting to me."

Happy let out a short bark of a laugh. "While that may be true, you are injured. You can barely walk and you don't have the luxury of a fully armored suit. There is no way you would be able to navigate that big mess to find him in the condition you are in and you know it. You are as stubborn as he is." When his arms came up to pull her in for a hug, she gladly accepted the physical contact, letting her face fall forward into his chest. A shuddering sigh racked her body as he held her close. "Don't worry. Tony is fighter. You know that. He will be okay."

Even in Happy's arms, the direness of the situation was continuing to sink in, dragging her down into the depths of despair. Hopelessness was on the verge of swallowing her whole until she heard the excited shouts of the rescue team.

"Look over there!"

"Holy shit! It's him!"

Pepper pushed Happy away and gasped, a hand coming up to cover her mouth as she saw an armored figure emerging from the smoke and rubble. Her heart soared. Tony, her Tony was alive, and in his arms was a dust covered unconscious man. Maximilian Montgomery III. Of course Tony had saved him. If possible, he would never leave a man behind, even an extremely guilty one.

Injured ankle immediately forgotten, Pepper leapt down from the back of the ambulance, shoving her way through the crowd of onlookers and reporters, trying to get to him as quickly as possible. From a distance, Pepper knew he was injured. Even encased in his Iron Man armor, she could tell by the way he carried himself he was hurting. She could only hope it was nothing too serious because getting him to seek medical attention would be next to impossible. As it always was.

Standing on just the other side of the barricade, she waited impatiently for him to reach her, heart beating wildly in her chest. A team of paramedics rushed by her with a gurney, and Tony handed off Maximilian's limp body to them before stepping around the barrier and stopping to stand directly in front of her. There was no stopping the tears of happiness that rolled down her cheeks. She was so glad he was alive. "Tony."

The second he removed his busted up helmet, exposing his bruised and bleeding face to her, Pepper was on him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and pulling him down as she pressed her lips firmly against his. She watched his dark eyes widen in surprise, obviously taken aback that she was openly showing affection in public but that didn't detour her in the slightest. In fact, as the cameras around them began to flash, she deepened the kiss, even giving him a bit of playful tongue action. After all, he deserved it. Tony may have been a bit disoriented from being buried in tens of thousands of pounds of debris but he still had enough sense to kiss her back, his hands coming to rest on her hips, pulling her closer. When she finally pulled away from him to gaze into his face, the amount of emotion she saw in his eyes made her breath catch. The love reflected in his stare was infinite. She didn't know what she did to make this man adore her so much but she hoped it would always be this way between them.

"Wow, Potts. What did I do to deserve that?"

The low rumble of his voice made warmth pool in her belly. She gently brushed her thumb over his split lip, watching as a grin slowly spread across his features. "For putting up with me being ridiculous. I was wrong for keeping our relationship a secret for so long. I was letting my own insecurities hold us back, Tony. No more. No more regrets." Pepper kept her hands on Tony's face, gently tracing the outline of his jaw even as she heard the reporters began to shout their names. It would be a long time before she would be able to stop touching him but she sighed, knowing she had to give an actual statement before the media spun her kissing him into anything other than what it truly was. As the corner of Tony's mouth quirked up, Pepper pressed one more lingering kiss to the side of his lips. "Well, Mr. Stark, I guess it's time."

"Mr. Stark!"

"Ms. Potts!"

Pepper turned away from Tony toward the reporters, raising her hand to silence them. "Before you all start with your own barrage of questions, let me indeed confirm what you all just saw by saying that yes, Mr. Stark and I are officially together. We were exclusively dating, and have been for months."

Pepper was rewarded when Tony laced his fingers with hers, stepping up beside her as he raised her hand to his lips for a soft kiss. He then flashed the cameras his signature Stark smile. "That's right ladies. Sorry to disappoint, but Iron Man is officially off the market. My heart is now and always will be property of Virginia 'Pepper' Potts."

Pepper felt her face grow hot, and she bit down on her bottom lip, looking at Tony out of the corner of her eye. There was no fighting the smile that filled her face. Standing there in a ruined dress with a twisted ankle, likely looking and smelling like shit, she couldn't remember ever being this happy as she was in this very moment. Let people talk. Let them say whatever they wanted about how she got to where she was today. In the end, whatever they said didn't matter. All that mattered was Tony loved her and she loved him back.

"They made their statement, now please go." Happy was trying is hardest to shoo the paparazzi away. "I said go. Now. Leave. There will likely be a press conference at some point so please stop snapping photos like the jackals you are and get out of here."

Pepper giggled as she slipped her arms around Tony. "I guess that means we are public now, Mr. Stark."

Tony lifted his brows. "That it does. Does that mean I get to take you out on a proper date now, Miss Potts?"

"It sure does." She slid her hand up his chest, letting it rest over the arc reactor. "I expect to be wined and dined. I trust you know how to do that?"

Tony's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Those are only two of the things I'm going to be doing to you." His expression became serious as he searched her face. "So, does this mean that Edward and Victoria are being shelved?"

She knew it took a lot of courage for him to ask her that question. With those words, she knew exactly what he was asking of her. He was asking for her to go to him first if she had any concerns. To not keep it inside bottled up inside until things between them started to deteriorate. "For the time being, yes. I promise if something is wrong, I will talk to you about it before things get out of control."

"And I promise I will try to talk to you."

Pepper gave him a stern look and couldn't stop the sigh that came out. "Tony."

Tony's hands went up in surrender. "I said I would try, Pep. You know I don't like talking about stuff like that but for you I will try. I swear I will. I will try my hardest to make you happy."

Well, at least he wasn't outright lying to her. She had to give him that much. He would try and that's all she could really ask for. "Oh, Tony. What am I going to do with you?" Now that things were winding down, she began to wonder just how badly Tony was hurt. Her eyes swept over his face and the exposed part of his neck, trying to decipher which injuries were new and which ones were from his earlier mission. "Do you need to go the hospital?"

Tony shook his head, taking her small hand in his much larger armored one as they began to walk away from the reporters that Happy was still busy herding away from them. "Nah. I'm good. Just a little banged up is all. I was able to shield Maximilian with my body, and we ended up lucking out and getting stuck in a pocket because in all honesty, I don't think the suit would have held up and if the suit had been breached..." He stopped talking when he noticed the growing concern on Pepper's face. "Shit, I'm sorry, Pep. I'm okay. I really need to learn when to stop talking, don't I?"

She loved it when he understood just where she was coming from and she didn't have to say a thing. That earned him another kiss. She pressed him up against the side of a parked truck, attacking his mouth with her own, molding herself to his armored body as closely as she could. Tongues and teeth clashed. Desire flailed through her white and hot. There was only one thing on her mind. How badly she wanted this man. After kissing him senseless for several long minutes, she forced herself to pull away from him, leaving them both panting and wanting. "I've got a question for you, Mr. Stark." She slid one of her hands down his chest to rest on the crotch plate of the suit. She knew he couldn't feel her touch but from the groan that left Tony's lips that didn't matter. He was well aware of where her hand was. "Does this piece come off by itself?"

"Ummmm." Tony licked his lips, obviously having a hard time collecting his thoughts after Pepper had kissed him senseless. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can manage that. This thing is falling to pieces anyway but why?"

It made her even hotter when Tony Stark, world renowned playboy acted all sweet and innocent. It only made her what to fuck him. Hard. "Do I really have to spell it out for you, Mr. Stark? I want you to fuck me wearing the suit. Don't you want to fuck me, Iron Man?"

Tony's nostrils flared at her words, his eyes grew hard and focused as he spun her around and pressed her against the truck with his body. His mouth was all over her, leaving hot wet kisses behind on her sensitive skin. His teeth nipped at her earlobe, drawing it into his mouth to suck on it until she moaned, writhing against him.

While she did prefer the feel of Tony's muscular body sliding against hers, there was something erotic about him pinning her there in his suit. He was her hero. Her own personal superhero, and God did she love him. All she could say was his name over and over as his hand slipped up under the tear in her dress. Pepper was pretty sure she had never been this turned on in her entire life. She was half tempted to let him take her right then and there.

"Mr. Stark? Ms. Potts?" Their sensual moment was ruined by an unfamiliar male voice. As they separated themselves from each other and turned, they noticed it was a police officer. Of course it was. He did at least look sorry for bothering them and didn't look as if he was about to arrest them for public indecency. Though they had been a few seconds away from truly being indecent. "I'm sorry to interrupt but if you two aren't going to the hospital, would you be willing to go down to the police station and give us a statement?"

Pepper had to stop herself from laughing when she heard Tony's low growl of frustration. She knew the images she had put into his head were going to drive him crazy until he got her alone but she knew this had to be done. "Of course we would, officer." Pressing a chaste kiss to Tony's cheek, she grabbed his hand and pulled him after her. "Come on, hero."

"It's gonna be a long night," Tony grumbled, reluctantly following behind.


	16. Chapter 16

It took far too long to give their statements for Tony's liking. It was starting to seem like half his life was spent in police stations. And yeah, while most of that was his own fault for doing something illegal and stupid during his pre-Afghanistan years, every time he ended up there now, it was related to his company and him becoming Iron Man. Stane. Hammer. And now Montgomery. Honestly, he just wanted a break from all of the craziness. A break somewhere far, far away. Just him and Pepper, but that wasn't going to happen any time soon. He wasn't that lucky. Nope. He was currently stuck sitting in a small room while Pepper gave her long and drawn out statement to a police officer who clearly would rather be anywhere else but there. Well, join the club, Tony thought miserably, staring up at the ceiling as he began to tap his foot in frustration. I would much rather be banging my hot girlfriend.

He began to drum his fingers on his thigh, the noise joining in with the insistent tapping of his foot. While under normal circumstances, this would not have been anything to set a person off, he was still wearing his suit. Pepper glared at him with a look that could have frozen hell over, and he decided then and there to disappear into the bathroom for a bit to let her cool off. He really did not want to upset her. Not when he was determined on getting her alone and doing all kinds of nasty things to her. Speaking of that...he smiled as he started to dismantle the suit.

Ten minutes later, he exited the bathroom just as Pepper was finally finishing up. He couldn't have planned it better. Now they could finally go home and...Pepper stumbled and almost went down. He reached out to steady her. Her face was contorted in pain as she leaned into him, allowing him to bear most of her weight. Her ankle. Shit. How could he have forgotten? They couldn't go home yet, not when they didn't know how bad her injury really was. He wondered if she was going to prove to be as stubborn as he was or if she would agree to go to the hospital.

Once he had helped her into the car, without even asking Pepper her thoughts, he told Happy to take them to the hospital. Pepper was too tired to protest. He could tell by the way she leaned on him, eyes closing the minute her head touched his shoulder. By the time they finally arrived, Tony could tell Pepper's ankle was hurting pretty badly. Her eyes may have been closed but her brows were furrowed. The features of her face tightened drastically. Suit sex was forgotten for the moment as he doted over her, trying to make her as comfortable as possible. He asked to carry her inside and pouted when she told Happy to get a wheelchair instead. Of course he relented in the end, only because he knew it was pointless to argue with her. She always got her way. Once inside the building, she was wheeled down to get x-rays. Luckily, there were no broken bones. Just a pretty bad sprain. After she was fitted in an ankle brace and boot with instructions on how to care for her injury, they were finally able to leave and Tony could not have been happier.

Even though it was extremely late by the time they arrived back at his New York penthouse, Tony was still buzzing with energy. Unfortunately, now that the adrenaline had finally worn off, Pepper was less than enthusiastic and really starting to drag. Not that he could blame her. It had been a very long fucking night. He could tell how she could barely stand on her own two feet as she opened the door and staggered in, him hot on her heels, just in case she needed help. Before he could say anything, she turned to him and said, "I'm going to take a quick shower."

Immediately the image of her wet, naked body made it hard for him to speak and hard in other places as well. He blinked his eyes, trying to focus on what she was actually saying and not on the vivid picture in his head. "You need help?" He really wished he wasn't in his suit because he currently needed to adjust himself and that wasn't going to happen. At least not easily.

Pepper laughed lightly, reaching up to brush stray hair away from his forehead. "Thanks but I think I can manage. Now why don't you get yourself out of your suit while I freshen up a bit?"

He couldn't stop the disappointment that spread across his face. This was not how things were supposed to go. He didn't want to go to bed. Not yet.

Pepper melted under his gaze. "Awww." Leaning forward, she cupped his cheek and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. She never said it out loud but he knew she could never resist his puppy eyes. His mom couldn't either. "Poor baby. I promise I won't be long." When he didn't give her a reply, she ran the back of her hand down his cheek. "Would you be willing to help me to the bathroom, Iron Man?"

His eyes lit up and before she could change her mind or say she was only joking, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to her destination. Once in the bathroom, he began to help her out of her dress. It was impossible for him to unzip her dress with his gauntlets still on but him cursing the infernal zipper out for several minutes did make Pepper smile. Once she was fully undressed, he helped her into the shower, turning on the water to the temperature he knew she liked before sitting her down on the bench and handing her the detachable shower head. He offered to spray her down but she assured him she could do it and once again asked him to get out of his suit, assuring him she would only be a minute. He pouted again, this time making sure to stick out his lip as much as physically possible but when she shot water at his face, he yelped, scurrying out of the stall. That woman liked her water way too hot. He put up with it when there was sex involved but otherwise, he would pass on getting scalded alive.

He waited outside the bathroom door for a few minutes after the water shut off before he peaked back in to check to see if she needed his help. His jaw dropped. Pepper was standing in front of the mirror wearing her see-through night gown and a pair of red panties. He could see her nipples poking through the shear material, and he was hard instantly. He licked his lips greedily as he grabbed his helmet from the bed where he had tossed it and put it back on. He was going to go for it. He was going to fuck her in the suit. How could he not when she looked like that?

Pepper was bending over the sink, spitting out her toothpaste when he made his move, lifting her into the air and was rewarded with a high-pitched squeak of surprise. He flipped her around to place her butt on the counter, watching as she tipped her head back to meet the glowing eyes of his helmet. "Tony, why haven't you taken off your armor? Do you need help?" The innocence in the question she posed turned him on even more.

God. She was so insanely hot even when she didn't try. He still remembered the first time he saw her without makeup. Well, remembered seeing her without makeup. He was sure he pulled her out of bed many times in the past makeup-less but was too inebriated to remember. The first time he fell in love with her natural beauty was the night of the Expo. Right after they had kissed for the first time. When they had gotten back to his New York penthouse, she had disappeared for a bit and when he saw her a few minutes later, all of her makeup had been cleaned off and she was wearing one of his favorite band t-shirts. It was like seeing her for the very first time. Even though he would never admit it to her out loud, that was when he knew he was going to marry her. Instant heart-eyes, motherfucker.

Pepper blinked up at him, blue eyes wide, waiting for an explanation. Instead of an answer, he tilted her chin back before slowing running a metallic finger down the column of her exposed throat. While he couldn't actually feel her pulse racing, he could see the flutter of her artery underneath her skin, and it sent a jolt of lust through him, straight to his dick. While he had fantasized about just this very thing happening more times than he would like to admit, he couldn't actually believe it was actually happening and that Pepper was the one who had suggested it. He watched her breathing pick up as his fingers neared their goal, the opening at the top of her nightgown. Just before they dipped down underneath the shear material, Pepper let out a noise that made him flinch and pull back, focusing in on her face. Oh shit. Was she not into this?

The last thing he wanted to do was scare her or make her feel uncomfortable. They were still in the very beginning of their intimate relationship. While they had known each other for years, they were still getting to know each other's boundaries when it came to sex. Well, he should say getting to know her boundaries. She had walked in on him many times in the past in very compromising positions so he was pretty sure she know his boundaries were very permeable. If she wasn't into this particular scenario, he would gladly switch to something else. He could just put it back in his spank bank to use another day. He flipped his face plate up so he could meet her eyes. "You okay, Pep? If you aren't into this we can stop or if you are too tired or your ankle hurts too much we really don't have to do anything. It's just that you looked so damn hot standing there like that, and I just couldn't help myself."

Pepper merely bit her lip, staring playfully up at him from under her lashes. "Didn't you say something about this..." one of those clever hands moved down to grasp the crotch plate of his suit, giving it a wiggle, "being removable? I'm ready to be taken by you." He may be in a certified actual genius but in that moment he lost his ability to make words. All of the blood in his body flowed south as Pepper's hands swiftly worked to loosen the plate. It was actually happening. He was going to fuck her while in his suit. Oh yes. Oh hell yes. "You going to take me where I need to go, Iron Man?"

As soon as she popped the plate off and it clattered to the floor, her eyes grew huge as she noticed there were no more barriers to find. There he was in his full glory: erect and ready for her. Her brows pulled together in confusion. "Wait, a second when did you have time to take off your pants?" He didn't need to say a thing because from the expression on her face, she already knew the answer. There was only one place he was out of her sight long enough to do it. The bathroom at the police station. Yes, he had actually taken off his pants at the police station because the image of him fucking Pepper in his suit had been the only thing he could think about since she proposed it. He had left his pants behind in the bathroom garbage, personally tailored pants that had cost an arm and a leg. In fact, they were Pepper's favorite of his dress pants because of "the way they clung to his ass." He could only hope Pepper would forgive him for it. He could always get another pair. "Oh my God. You actually did it, didn't you? You took your pants off at the police station? Why would you do that? Do you have any idea how long it took me to get you squeezed into that tailor's schedule? Months, Tony."

Yep. She was pissed. He watched her nostrils flare as she spoke, noticed the blush rise from her chest upward, which only happened when she was upset or aroused. He needed to take control of the situation before the mood was completely ruined and Pepper demand he sleep on the couch. As she continued to rant about responsibility and the like, he flipped his face plate back down and leaned over her. "You want to know why I did it, Miss Potts? I did it because the only thing I could think about since seeing you in that dress earlier was being buried balls deep inside of you, fucking you until you can't even remember your own name."

Then his hands were gripping her hips and jerking her toward the front of the counter. Pepper's mouth snapped shut as she inhaled sharply through her nose, argument immediately forgotten. Desire flared to life in her eyes as he rucked up her nightgown and yanked down her panties. A low moan slipped past his lips when he noticed she was already wet for him. This was working for her too. Good.

"Does the thought of Iron Man fucking you senseless make you hot, Miss Potts?"

As a reply, Pepper wrapped her long legs around his suit-clad body, locking them around his hips to pull him closer to her. "Maaaaybe. You going to make good on your word? When you are done with me, I better not remember who I am. You will have to remind me." And then her hands were gripping his cock as she stroked him firmly from root to tip in the way she knew he loved. "Are you going to take me to the stars, Iron Man?"

He bucked his hips forward into her touch, craving more of it. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Call me Iron Man again."

Then she cupped his balls, gently massaging them and he was seeing fucking stars because her hands. God, her hands were amazing. Everything about this woman was amazing. He was the luckiest fucking man on the planet. Hell, in the entire universe. As those dexterous hands worked their magic, his legs began to shake and almost gave out on him before he reminded himself he needed to stand for this to work. When she rubbed her thumb across the tip of his cock, there was no suppressing the whine that came out of him. How did a single touch from this woman reduce him to putty?

"Was that a whimper I heard? Since when does the invincible Iron Man whimper?"

The wicked toothy grin she gave him full of things yet to come made his self-control snap and with a growl, he thrust himself inside of her, burying himself to the hilt. The pleasured moan she let out when her head snapped back on her shoulders combined with the way she arched up against him all most made him lose his shit right then and there.

He watched her writhe against him. His hands were holding her hips while her own hands moved up to rub her nipples and he couldn't stop his moan. This may be the hottest thing he has ever experienced. "You feel so good inside of me. You are so fucking hard. The suit isn't the only thing made of iron, is it, Iron Man?"

"Actually, it is made of Titanium-Gold Alloy to be completely accurate. I could give you a rundown of the actual percentages if you would like..."

Pepper stopped grinding against him and gave him an exasperated look, arching one of her brows. "Don't talk. Just keep fucking me." Oh. She was playing with him, and he ruined it. Dammit. Why didn't his brain ever shut off? How did he always manage to say the stupidest shit ever? It didn't matter what his suit was made out of. Pepper was letting him fuck her in it.

He nodded his agreement. "Yes, ma'm." And then he was working her again, driving his cock into her while he pressed a thumb to her clit, mirroring the slow circles she was currently doing with her hips.

She tossed her hair back, giving her breast a squeeze as she got back into it. "Mmmm, yeah, Tony. Just like that."

The way his name sounded coming from her lips was more intimate than a caress and the sounds she made when he was in her, damn near drove him out of his mind. Her name was the only thing he was capable of saying as he fucked her slowly, rolling his hips into hers. She was warm and wet and God, did she feel good. So so good. While he did actually miss feeling her skin with his hands, suit sex was unbelievably fun. He could even watch his own heart-rate in the HUD. He was glad he told Jarvis to shut off for the night because his AI saying anything at this point would likely kill the mood.

As the pleasure built up inside of him to almost unbearable levels, he made sure to gauge how hard he was clutching her hips because it would be all too easy to hurt her with the extra strength of the suit behind him. One of the things he quickly learned the first time they made love was how easily she bruised. That beautiful milky white skin of hers was sensitive. He accidentally gave her beard burn and bruises on more than one occasion. He could tell Pepper was close too. Her legs were quivering. Her eyes were squeezed shut as if she didn't have the power to open them. Her mouth was open, pink tongue visible as she panted out his given name over and over. Oh yeah. She was almost there.

"Come for me, Miss Potts. Iron Man wants you to come all over his big iron cock."

"Oh God," she called out. That did it. At his words, her back was bowing and she was shouting a stream of curse words up at the ceiling as she clenched around him. He wanted for this session to last a little bit longer but the way her walls milked his dick just perfectly wasn't going to let him. He finished right behind her, leaning down over her body as he groaned out her name.

Panting heavily, he removed his helmet, letting it fall to the floor with a clatter. He grinned down at the shivering woman sprawled out on the marble counter top. At least he fulfilled his promise. It did seem like he had fucked her senseless. "Wow. That mouth of yours could make a sailor blush, Potts."

Pepper grinned back at him. "Mmmmm. I can't help it. You make me lose control."

"I like that." He turned from her to grab a clean washcloth, wetting it with warm water before wiping between her legs and down them, cleaning away the evidence of their lovemaking session. She watched him with bright, curious eyes. After he tossed the towel into the laundry basket, Pepper wrapped her arms around his neck and yanked him down so she could kissing him thoroughly. With lots of tongue. When she finally pulled away, he was almost ready to go again.

As Pepper traced the outline of his goatee, he leaned into her touch. "That was fun but I did miss kissing you because you are such a good kisser."

Tony's face lit up as he waggled his eyebrows playfully. "Who's your iron stud?"

That got a giggle out of her and a gentle shove to his shoulder. "You, of course." She pressed one more kiss to his lips before a giant yawn overtook her. It was late even for him so poor Pepper must have been exhausted. He didn't know if he would be able to convince her to take tomorrow off. Hell, she needed an entire week or two off to fully recover but he knew she would never agree to that. Maybe he could turn off their phones, alarms and have Jarvis keep it dark in the room and she would simply sleep the day away. "Let's get you to bed, Potts." He knew she was worn-out when he scooped her spent body up in his arms and she didn't protest and allowed him to carry her over to their bed. With care, he deposited her onto the mattress before pulling the covers up to her chin and pressing a loving kiss to her nose.

"I'm going to get this armor off, take a shower and then come to bed."

"You promise?"

He gave her a reassuring smile. "Promise."

"No tinkering?"

Tony leaned down over her to press a soothing kiss to her forehead. He honestly had no idea that him staying up at night had bothered her so much. But now that he knew, he needed to work on trying to get to bed at a more reasonable hour. "No tinkering. At least not in the workshop. Here on the other hand..." Playfully, he snaked his hand underneath the covers to brush his fingertips over her nipples.

"Tony," Pepper groaned, half-heartily smacking away his wandering hand as she turned away from him, curling in on herself before shooting a glance over her shoulder. Her nose was wrinkled up as she smiled at him. "You are insatiable."

"Only with you, Pep. Only with you." He gave her a smile before leaving the room.


End file.
